Tales of Symphonia: The Other Chosen
by ChibiFoxAI
Summary: AU What if Lloyd was the Chosen of Sylvarant instead of Colette? What if Emil was Lloyd's adopted brother, found washed up on shore? How did he get to Sylvarant? What about Marta? And the Vanguard? Why did this happen? And what of Ratatosk? What kind of chaos will he bring on the Journey of Regeneration? Find out here!
1. Chapter 1

AI: Well, hello everyone! This is AI here with a new story! Yay for a new fandom! Well, I've been a fan of the game and its sequel for years, but I never had the urge to write a story for it until now. I will be combining the original Tales of Symphonia and sequel in this, mainly because I don't want to deal with writing a second one. I hope you all enjoy it!

Set pairings are past Kratos/Anna, past Regal/Alicia, past Yuan/Martel, Lloyd/Colette, Emil/Marta, Zelos/Sheena, slight Genis/Presea, and Alice/Decus. There will also be Lloyd/Emil bromance in this.

Disclaimer: I do not own Tales of Symphonia nor its sequel Dawn of the New World aka Knight of Ratatosk.

"_Once upon a time, there existed a giant tree that was the source of mana. A war, however, caused this tree to wither away, and a hero's life was sacrificed in order to take its place. Grieving over the loss, the goddess disappeared unto the heavens. _

_The goddess left the angels with this edict: "You must wake me, for if I should sleep, the world shall be destroyed." The angels bore the Chosen One, who headed towards the tower that reached up unto the heavens. And that marked the beginning of the regeneration of the world."_

_Growing up, this story was the basis for every lesson in class. I know the truth now, and the story is a load of crock. It all started when my brother, the Chosen of our world, started his journey._

_-Emil Castagnier Irving_

"Lloyd Irving, hurry up! I don't want to be late again! Remember what happened last time?" A boy with blonde hair and green eyes was bouncing on the balls of his feet, fuming at the older boy who was running down a long flight of stone steps. The boy in question was named Emil. He wore a blue sleeveless shirt that had a pair of swallow tails that was lined with black and yellow. He also had black pants with yellow crosses, a long black scarf, a pair of long black gloves with sweat bands over the wrists, and a pair of black and yellow shoes.

"Sorry Emil! We would be there now, but those old windbags don't know when to shut up!" Lloyd shouted back. Lloyd was a fairly tall teen with brown eyes and dark brown hair that was pulled back in small pony tail. Having been raised by a dwarf, his bright red clothes and suspenders seemed out of place in their small town of Iselia.

Emil broke out into a sprint for a wooden schoolhouse as his brother reached him at the bottom. "I just hope we get there before Raine begins her lecture!"

Lloyd nodded in agreement. "It's times like these that I wish we could bring Noishe into the village!"

"Maybe Jord. He's a bit faster than Noishe."

Emil repeated his brother's actions as they wiped their feet in a haste to get into their classroom. Both felt their smiles grow when they saw the door. Barreling into it, they fell through the doorway in a heap of laughter.

"We made it!" Emil cheered. His smile was wiped away, however, when an eraser was beaned at his head. "Ow!"

Lloyd looked up with a sheepish smile "… Oh. Hi Professor Raine! Eh… is class over?"

The silver haired woman dressed in orange was Raine Sage, teacher of Iselia's small school and older sister to his best friend. "Lloyd, you have to start getting better about this. Chosen or not, you can't just, oh never mind. Let's have someone else answer the question. Genis, how about you?"

Her brother, Genis, stood up with a smile. "Yes, Raine. Mithos, the hero, brought about the end of the Ancient War in the Holy Ground of Kharlan."

Raine nodded. "Correct. Afterwards, Mithos, the hero, formed a pact with the Goddess Martel to seal away the Desians whom caused the war."

Lloyd scoffed at this as he and Emil took their seats. "But the Desians came back and are now causing everyone to suffer!"

Raine sighed and shook her head at her eldest student. "We covered that in class last time, remember? When the Seal weakens the Desians reappear, just like they have now."

Lloyd blushed and scratched his cheek. "I… I knew that. I… I just forgot…"

Raine rolled her eyes "Today is the Day of Prophecy. It is a very important day, which the Chosen of Mana will receive an oracle from the Goddess Martel. Now, who to choose… oh, Colette."

Colette, a rather pretty blonde girl and a long-time friend of Lloyd, Genis, and Emil, stood up as well. "Yes, ma'am?"

Raine pointed to something on her chalk board. "Tell us about the journey of world regeneration."

Colette nodded. "It is a journey to seal the Desians. Upon passing the trials of the Goddess Martel, the Summon Spirits that protect the world awaken, and mana is restored."

Raine gave another smile. "Correct. I suppose we should expect a friend of the Chosen to know the answer to that one. Mana depletion is the cause of the current food shortages and droughts. It is said that this occurs because the Desians consume vast amounts of mana in their human ranches."

Lloyd and Emil both frowned at Raine's lecture. Their village held a non-aggression treaty with the Desians. As long as the villagers didn't go near the ranch, the Desians would stay away. The treaty was created he day he was proclaimed as the Chosen of Mana. For some reason, the mention of the Human Ranch left a cold feeling in the bottom of Lloyd's stomach.

Before Raine could begin a lecture on mana, a sudden flash of light caught everyone off guard

Emil was the first one to speak. "Wh… WHAT WAS _THAT_?"

Lloyd's eyes widened. "That's…"

Raine raised her voice in an effort to calm her class. "Settle down. It would seem that the time for the oracle has come. I will go and check on the Temple. Everyone, stay here and study on your own. Understood?"

As Raine ran off, Lloyd stopped her. "Professor! I'll go with you!"

Raine shook her head. "No, Lloyd. If it is the oracle, the priests will come here for you. Wait here with everyone else."

With that being said, Raine ran off again.

Lloyd sighed. "Yes, ma'am."

After waiting a few seconds, Lloyd tried to leave the classroom.

Genis blocked the way, a scowl on his face. "Lloyd! Where are you going? Don't tell me you're sneaking out! Raine will get mad!"

Emil walked over to stand next to his brother. "C'mon Genis! I'm really curious to find out what really happens to Lloyd when he receives the oracle. They _always_ talk about the Chosen of Regeneration and the Day of Prophecy, but no one _tells_ us what really happens! I wanna go really _badly_!"

Genis rolled his eyes at Emil. His last sentence sounded more like a whine. "But my sister said to stay and study by ourselves."

Lloyd shrugged. "It's research."

Genis stomped his foot. 'That's just an excuse and you know it!"

Lloyd shrugged again. "So? An excuse is an excuse, right? Don't be so stuffy. You're coming too, right? We're best friends, after all! Colette, want to come along, too?"

Colette, who had been spacing out, came back to her sense "…Huh? Um, sure, okay."

Colette got up from her seat and approached the boys. "So where to?"

Emil was bouncing again. "Where else? That light! We're involved in all of this. Aren't you curious?"

Colette thought for a moment. "Hmm… Are you curious about it?"

Genis was taken aback. "Of course but…"

Colette smiled. "Okay, then I'll be curious about it, too!"

Lloyd smiled at Genis "See? Dwarven Vow #4: Don't depend on others. Walk on your own two legs. Okay then! Let's go to the temple!"

Genis rubbed his forehead "Not the Dwarven Vows again. You always use those when you need an excuse…"

* * *

Lloyd looked around as they exited the school house "What's going on? It's awfully quiet…"

Emil caught onto Lloyd's train of thought. "Where did everybody go?"

"Colette! Chosen! Boys!" At that moment, Colette's father Frank appeared before them.

Colette looked happy yet worried at the same time! "Father!"

"Uncle Frank!"

Frank's face twisted into relief. "Thank goodness you're safe."

Genis looked puzzled. "Uncle Frank, what happened to everyone in the village?"

Frank frowned. "They're all hiding. The Desians invaded the village just a short while ago. Thankfully, no one was hurt. They passed through the village and headed for the temple."

Genis was shocked and looked slightly guilty. "Why? Iselia has a non-aggression treaty with the Desians!"

Emil looked at Frank with a perplexed look. "You mean that agreement where they don't attack the village as long as we leave the human ranch alone, right?"

Colette nodded at Emil. "Yes… Grandmother said it's to protect Lloyd… Oh! Where's Grandmother?"

Frank's forehead creased. "Phaidra is in the temple preparing for the ritual."

Lloyd paled. "Phaidra's in the temple? But that's where the Desians…"

Frank nodded grimly. "The priests are there with her. There's no need to worry. Now, Colette…"

Colette sighed. "I know. I promise to fulfill my duty to the Chosen."

If Frank saw the glare Lloyd gave him, he chose to ignore it. "Good luck, Colette." He turned to Emil and Genis. "You two should go on home."

Emil shifted his feet. "I'm worried about letting Colette go by herself with Lloyd. I'll go with them to the temple."

Genis nodded, a look of determination crossing his face. "Me, too."

Frank relented. "But…all right. Thank you. I'll wait at the house. Come back immediately if anything happens."

* * *

Lloyd smirked as he put away his swords, having defeated a few low-level monsters. "That was easy!"

Colette clapped her hands. "Lloyd, Emil, you're both amazing!"

Genis rolled his eyes. "Yeah, at least their sword skills are good."

Emil turned on Genis. "…What do you mean "at least" Genis? We did more damage than that toy of yours!"

It was now Lloyd's turn to roll his eyes that day. "It's important to choose the target wisely when there's a lot of monsters, or if we're up against a dangerous one."

Colette nodded. "It's especially important when saving an ally that's in trouble."

Emil tapped his brother's shoulder. "Say, Lloyd, what's it like inside the temple? I've never been able to go inside when I wait for you, so it's kind of exciting!"

Lloyd thought for a moment before smiling. "Hmm, well, it's sort of dark because not much sunlight makes it through... but, then again, I've never been to the inner part, either."

Genis sighed and let his palm hit his forehead. "That's not quite what I was expecting Lloyd."

Colette looked happy. "Hmmm. I can't wait to get inside!"

* * *

Lloyd's group proceeded to Martel Temple. Upon arrival, they looked up to the outside of the Martel Temple, complete with a light coming out of the roof dome.

Lloyd was in awe. "Whoa, that light really is coming from the temple!"

Genis nodded. "Then an oracle is going to be conveyed. Lloyd's going to be the Chosen of Regeneration!"

Colette didn't hear her friends. "It's really, really bright!"

Emil tugged on one of the white ribbons on Lloyd's jacket. "Say, bro…when the oracle is conveyed, you'll become the Chosen who will save the world, right? You're going to be like the hero, Mithos! So maybe you should act a little more…you know, Chosen-like…"

Lloyd nodded. "Yeah! No problem. No problem!"

Genis noticed something nearby. "Hey, there's a lot of commotion at the temple."

Colette gasped. "… You're right!"

"Chosen One!" Everyone gasped to see the pastor, blood oozing from a wound. As the pastor ran to the group, he fell to the floor.

Colette's hands flew to her mouth. "Pastor?"

Lloyd ran to him. "Hey, are you all right?"

The pastor pointed to the Martel Temple. "The Desians broke the non-aggression treaty and attacked the temple… Chosen One… quickly… the oracle…"

Lloyd nodded. "I know."

The pastor coughed. "Please… be careful… I regret that I will not… be able to pro… tect… the… Cho… sen." With that said, the pastor died at the scene.

Colette started crying. "Pastor, hang on!"

Lloyd shook his head. "It's no good. He's… gone."

Genis whimpered. "No!"

While Genis and Colette covered their faces in grief, Lloyd stood up.

"…I'm going."

Emil nodded. "I'm going too! Dwarven Vow #1: Let's all work together for a peaceful world. Let's go."

* * *

A man pushed an old woman to the ground. "Where is the Chosen?

The old woman, Phaidra, crawled back a little and gasped when four certain children appeared.

"Everyone, run!"

The soldiers faced the group. The first Desian soldier pointed to Lloyd. "Lord Botta! There he is!"

Botta faced Lloyd. "Chosen One, your life is mine!"

Lloyd and Emil drew their swords as Genis took out his kendama and Colette took out her chakrams. "We won't let you Desians get away with anything!"

The first soldier laughed. " Desians? …Hahaha!"

Genis narrowed his eyes. "What's so funny?"

The second soldier smirked. "Well then, die at the hands of the Desians you so hate. Get them!"

The four friends made quick work of the foot soldiers. A few jabs here and there and the soldiers fell like flies who had been hit with a hammer, quite literally given one of Colette's spells.

Botta clenched his teeth. "Useless little… Vidarr, get over here and take care of them!"

An incredibly large man, most likely Vidarr, appeared at the scene with an iron spike ball, swinging from a chain.

Vidarr growled. "Do not get in our way!"

Vidarr then threw his ball and chain at the group, wounding the group and retracting the weapon with the chain.

Genis was scared by now. "This guy's strong!"

Emil nodded. "Man, this guy is really tough!"

Just as Vidarr's ball and chain was about to strike Lloyd, someone appeared and parried the attack. Lloyd stood up and tightened the grip on his swords. "Who are you?"

The newcomer turned to him. He had bright red eyes and hair to match. He wore a purple shirt and a matching swallow tail cape, similar to Emil's shirt, with black pants and boots. Most of his clothing had some sort of white trimming on it. His sword's sheath was hooked onto his left hip. He gave Lloyd a dismissive huff before charging at the large man. "Get out of the way."

Lloyd glared. "Like hell I am! Emil, cover me! Genis, protect Colette!"

Emil rushed towards Vidarr with Lloyd. "You gonna try _it_?"

"Yep!"

* * *

"Watch out!"

The red haired man looked back to see Lloyd rushing with a determined expression. He was about to retort, but jumped out of the way.

"Take this!" Lloyd jumped into the air, his twin blades crackling with mana. "Divine Justice!"

The red-clad Chosen then brought his blades down on Vidarr, giving the final blow to the man.

Lloyd jumped back. He looked at his swords, then back to his friends, then to his swords, then back to the other swordsman, who was helping Phiadra up.

"Did everyone see that, because I won't be able to do that again, I think."

Lloyd's point was proven when his swords broke, causing Emil to pull out another pair from nowhere and hand them to the stunned Chosen.

Botta growled. "I never thought you'd show up. Damn… Retreat for now!"

* * *

Colette was bouncing up and down now, much like Emil had earlier that day, but a look of excitement was spread across her face. "Amazing!"

Genis agreed. "This guy's incredibly strong!"

Emil looked a bit put out. "Y-yeah. I…I suppose so…"

The new swordsman walked up to the group. "Is everyone all right? Hmm… no one seems to be hurt. Good."

Lloyd tilted his head as when he spotted a certain glow on the man's hand. "Is that an Exsphere?"

Phaidra approached the group, relief apparent on her face. "How can I ever thank you for saving the Chosen?"

The newcomer raised an eyebrow and motioned to Lloyd. "I see. So this boy is the next Chosen?

Colette nodded. "That's right! He has to go accept the oracle!"

The mystery man nodded and turned to the Temple entrance. "The monsters, I assume. An evil presence radiates from inside this chapel."

Phaidra nodded. "Yes, that is correct. The Chosen is to receive judgment from heaven. But the priests that were to accompany him fell at the hands of the Desians."

Emil puffed out his chest a bit. "Then I'll take on the job of protecting Lloyd."

Phaidra frowned. "Emil? …I would be uneasy with just you."

The man's eyes widened as he turned to the dwarf-raised teen. "Your name is Lloyd?"

Lloyd crossed his arms. "Yeah, but who are you to ask for my name?"

The man sighed and copied the boy's movement. "…I am Kratos, a mercenary. As long as you can pay me, I'll accept the job of guarding the Chosen."

Phaidra sighed "I guess that… under the circumstances, I have little choice. Please be of service."

"It's a deal, then."

Emil glared. "Wait a minute you sell-sword! I'm going, too!"

"Emil, you'll only get in the way. Be a good boy and wait here."

"What did you say?"

Kratos raised an eyebrow. "Did I not make myself clear? You're a burden. Go home."

Lloyd approached the older man. "Um… hey, Kratos, would it be okay to take Emil along, too?

"But…"

"Please. I'll get nervous if my little brother is out here and we get attacked again."

Kratos sighed, as if he had enough. "… Do as you wish."

Emil pulled on Genis' arm to get the younger boy to follow. "Let's go, Genis!"

Genis blinked. "What? I'm going, too?"

Lloyd nodded. "Of course!"

Colette smiled. "Wait for me!"

"This isn't a field trip, you know." Kratos muttered as he followed the group inside. _I have a feeling that I won't get paid enough for _this _mission_.

* * *

AI: Here we have Chapter 1! Thank goodness I found the game script online or else this would take a lot longer! I have always wondered what it would be like if Lloyd was the Chosen, so I decided to finally get it typed up! Please leave reviews, they encourage me to write more! As for how the plots from the second game are going to fit in, I'll make it work, I swear! Later everyone!


	2. Chapter 2

AI: Hello everyone! I'm glad to see that I actually have some reviews for this fic! It was a lot of fun to write the first chapter, so I'm going to try and get as many chapters of this up as I can while juggling the other stories I have… yeah, doing as much as I can before classes start up again! Anyway, onto Chapter 2!

Disclaimer: I do not own Tales of Symphonia nor its sequel Dawn of the New World aka Knight of Ratatosk.

Lloyd looked around the main lobby of the Temple. It was still as dark as ever, but there was an evil air to the usual holy place. The main lobby split into three different paths; one going to the left, one leading straight ahead, and one leading to the right.

Emil spun in a slow circle as he looked around the main lobby. "So this is what the inside of the temple is like… it's a lot... smaller than I expected."

"Lloyd, you've been in here many times, right?" Colette asked. "Is it always like this?"

Lloyd nodded. "Yeah, but the left side is new as of last month." Everyone turned to see a large pile of rubble. "Since mana is starting to run out in this world, earthquakes are becoming more frequent, or so the priests told me. Other than that, it's the same, but it feels different than usual."

Kratos' hand hovered over his blade. "I sense the presence of monsters. Don't let your guard down."

Emil glared back at the mercenary when he felt the older man's gaze fall onto him. _What is it with this man? If he doesn't think I can protect my brother, he should just say it that pompous, no-good-!_

Emil blinked. _Wait, where did all that come from?_

Genis lazily bounced the ball that was attached to his weapon. "Did you see how we handled those Desians? We can handle a few measly monsters compared to those goons. Let's go!"

Kratos sighed at the young boy's arrogance. "Kids these days, they beat one Desian goon and then think they are the next Mithos. Anyway, Lloyd, Emil… tell me, are your sword techniques self-taught?"

Emil nodded. "Yeah. That's right. Iselia doesn't allow weapons into the village unless you're a traveler, so we have to make do with learning from books and from the occasional pilgrimage that comes through to see Lloyd."

The red-clad Chosen blushed at this. "Don't see why they do it though… I'm not _THAT_ special…"

"Then take this." Emil caught a large book that read 'Training Manual' on the front. A few of the pages in the front were filled out, but the rest were blank.

Lloyd leaned over Emil's shoulder to see the impromptu gift. "What is this thing?"

Kratos pointed to their weapons. "If you are going to use a sword, then at least learn the basics. The first pages should teach you that much. The rest are blank so you can write in what you learn."

Emil huffed at this, but put away the book for safe keeping "Humph! You think you know so much!"

Kratos raised an eyebrow. "You want to protect the Chosen, don't you?"

Emil growled at the older man. Ever since the two met, he had an uneasy feeling about him. He felt like he knew the man, but at the same time he didn't. Lloyd rested a hand on his brother's shoulder when his normally green eyes started to flash red.

"Emil…" he chided softly. Emil snapped his head towards Lloyd. The two had a staring contest for a few seconds before the younger's eyes turned back to their normal green.

"I'm sorry Lloyd."

"Chosen, I know you are close to your brother, but if he is going to slow down our journey, he should just go home." Two heads snapped to the right to see Kratos, Colette, and Genis already waiting for them at the right side of the lobby.

Colette waved to them. "Kratos saw that the main gate is being blocked by something, so we need to get something called the Sorcerer's Ring to open it!"

Lloyd thought for a moment before recognition sparked in his eyes. "Oh yeah, I remember that thing!" His shoulders drooped. "The priests said I would have to think in order to get it."

* * *

The group headed down the two flights of stairs to see a large glowing platform. The platform itself was a light bluish-green color with nine square holes in it. In addition to the staircase they were on, two smaller staircases were attached to the platform and led down to a path of stones, but there were a few pieces missing from the path. At the end of the path, there was a pedestal with a glowing object.

Colette was the first to point it out, nearly falling over the railing as she pointed to it. "Look, look! There's something glowing!"

Genis was holding onto the back of Colette's white and blue clothing to keep her from falling. "Wow! Let's go see it!"

The group continued their trek down to the platform once they retrieved Colette. Each of them took turns keeping Colette from falling through the multiple holes.

Emil felt a feeling of dread wash over him. He turned around and immediately took out his sword. "Look out, there's something here!"

The warriors turned around and in time to see Emil cut down a Golem. After being defeated, the Golem turned into a block.

Genis kicked the block lightly. "Well that was anti-climactic."

Kratos gave Genis a sharp look. "Genis, he was just trying to protect Lloyd by using some things he's picked up. There is no need for such words."

Colette was busy looking over the result of the battle from afar. "Wow! It turned into a rock!"

Lloyd shrugged and rubbed the back of his neck. "Well, it was kind of a rock to begin with, Colette…"

As Colette walked over to get a closer look, she lost her balance and fell towards the block, causing it to fall through the floor. Colette's face flushed in embarrassment. "Oops! I'm so sorry!"

Everyone watched as the block fell and started completing one of the paths to the glowing item. There were murmurs of "I get it" and "I see" from Genis and Kratos as a result.

Lloyd quirked an eyebrow at the duo. "What are you two talking about?"

Genis turned to "If our theory is correct, then in just a moment, it'll probably… See, there it is!"

Just then, another Golem appeared on the platform.

Colette jumped back. "Whoa, there's another one! Where do they come from?"

* * *

The next couple of minutes were filled with fighting against the large stone enemies. After the battle against the last enemy, Lloyd noticed that Emil's eyes were starting to turn red again. As the group walked down the steps to the now-complete path, Lloyd hugged Emil close to him with one arm.

"Calm down bro. We don't need a repeat of what happened to those bandits when Dad asked us to go to Triet." He whispered.

Emil's now-red eyes narrowed at him, his voice a few octaves deeper now. "I don't trust that Kratos guy. I get a feeling that I've met him before."

Lloyd's brow furrowed. "Maybe if you are nice to him, he will be able to help you recover your lost memories."

Emil's eyes turned green again as he held his head in his hand. "What's happening… and why now?"

* * *

Genis looked at the glowing piece of jewelry as it floated slightly above the pedestal. "Is this the Sorcerer's Ring? I've heard about it before from Raine. It's a holy artifact of the Church of Martel!"

Kratos nodded. "With this, we should be able to deal with most traps and obstacles."

Emil's eyes lit up. "Wow! Can I try it? Please Lloyd?"

Lloyd handed the artifact to the boy. "Okay, Emil, but be careful. We'd be screwed if something happened to this thing."

Genis looked over to Lloyd and was about to ask a question, but he got the answer when Lloyd mouthed 'Raine and the Mayor' to him. Kratos seemed to frown at the look of fear in Lloyd's eyes, but the frown was quickly replaced with his usual stoic expression.

"What are we doing just standing here? Lloyd has to receive the oracle!"

* * *

Finally the group was at the top floor, standing in front of the altar.

Well, Kratos was standing. The younger members of the merry band were leaned over or crouched down, holding onto their stomachs.

Emil and Lloyd looked worse for wear. "I haven't felt this sick since we ate that homemade melange gel using one of Raine's recipes a few years back."

Genis turned to them with a stern look. "You mean the one you guys made out of expired orange gels, fruit that wasn't a melon, and a squid?"

Colette stood up, albeit shaky. "That's the only time I remember eating it."

Kratos pinched the bridge of his nose and took a deep breath to ease his building headache. "Lloyd, just get to the altar."

Everyone sobered up from the aura of anger that was radiating from the wandering swordsman.

"Is that shining thing there the Cruxis Crystal?" Genis was able to stave off Kratos' building emotion.

Lloyd nodded. "That's right. Dad told me that he found me playing with it when I was a kid."

Emil gasped when a light shined down on them. A small ball of light descended from the larger source and grew larger, shifting into another form. Suddenly, a winged man dressed in fine priest robes appeared.

"I am Remiel. I am an angel of judgment. I am here to guide Lloyd, son of the mana lineage, on his journey to heaven as the seventh Chosen." The angel descended a little. "The time has come to awaken the Goddess Martel, who sleeps at the center of the world."

"Awaken the Goddess Martel." Genis repeated slowly. "It's just like the legend Raine told us about!"

Remiel ignored and motioned Lloyd to open the top of his jacket. After doing so, Remiel placed the glowing gem on the base of the teen's neck. The moment that gem met the skin, a gold choker appeared, the red gem hanging from it.

"From this moment, Lloyd becomes the Chosen of Regeneration. We of Cruxis bless this event, and hereby bestow the Tower of Salvation upon Sylvarant."

Emil ran to the window and pointed at a tower that miraculously appeared. "So that's the Tower of Salvation!"

Colette cheered. "Now the world will be saved!"

Remiel turned back to the Chosen. "Lloyd, the Chosen of Regeneration. Unlock the seals that guard the Tower of Salvation and climb its stairs to heaven in distant lands."

Lloyd nodded. "I accept this task."

Remiel smiled, but it was far from being called 'heartwarming' towards the boy. "Very good. We of Cruxis shall grant you the power of the angels with each seal you unlock. Once you are reborn as an angel, this eroded world shall be regenerated."

Lloyd nodded. "Thank you. I swear on my life I will regenerate the world."

Remiel nodded and pointed once again to a general direction. "First head south, to the Seal of Fire. Offer your prayers in that distant land."

"Yes, Lord Remiel."

As Remiel floated back up to the light, Lloyd called out to him.

"Uh, wait! Please wait! I have a question I want to ask." Remiel looked back down to him. "The angels of Cruxis… they see all, right? Please, is he alive, my fa-"

"First head to the Seal of Fire. Understood, my son?" Remiel addressed him coldly.

"…Yes Lord Remiel."

As Remiel disappeared, he shot a triumphant look at Kratos, the latter of whom looked like he would strike the blonde man dead with a 'Lightning' spell with just a mere thought.

* * *

"Wow Lloyd, you really are the son of an angel!"

Emil sighed. "Uh, I think he means 'son' the way that the priests would call the adults 'brother' and 'sister' and how they used to call us 'son' and 'daughter' Colette. Besides, from what Dad said, the only thing Lloyd got from his mom was his hair color and eyes… and he didn't look anything like Remiel… so I believe that his dad is still out there!"

"…Oh, yes…"

It was at this moment that Kratos allowed his respect for Emil to increase by a few pegs. He then turned back to Lloyd. "Since you have received the oracle, I believe that now is the best time to tell the town that you have passed the first trial."

* * *

Kratos was very patient as he waited for each of the students to step off the teleport pad. He was even gentlemanly enough to help them each to the side as the next one came down.

As the team walked to the lobby of the temple, they came across Raine, who was doing some research.

"MARVELOUS!" she squealed.

Lloyd was the first brave soul to approach. "Uh …Professor?"

Raine turned around to see the faces of the Irving brothers, Colette, Genis, and Kratos. "What? What are you kids doing here? You're supposed to be studying in class!"

"Uh! Uh-oh…"

Raine angrily approached Genis, cracking her knuckles as she advanced.

"Raine! I…I'm sorry!"

Lloyd and Colette closed their eyes and covered Emil's as Raine grabbed Genis and spanked his bottom. When all was silent, they let themselves look at the aftermath.

"… Lloyd and Emil, you're next. Are you ready?"

Lloyd and Emil squeaked, though later they would deny it, and ran behind Kratos.

Raine placed her hands on her hips. "So, who is this?"

* * *

After explaining what had happened, Raine let the two brothers off with a warning. "Now, you two, if you've learned your lesson, go back home. There will be no class for the rest of the day."

Genis rubbed his still aching behind. "What about you?"

Raine smiled. "I've received permission from Phaidra to study this temple a little while longer. It's not often that ordinary citizens have the opportunity to enter this place."

As the set of warriors left the ancient structure, an unknown voice was heard cackling in the darkness of the Temple. "MUHAHAHAHAHA!"

Kratos looked back at the Temple with wonder. "What was that?

There was a brief pause. "…You're better off knowing." Genis intoned.

* * *

Genis was walking back to the village near the rear of the party, behind Kratos and next to Emil. Lloyd and Colette were chatting to each other up at the front. "I still can't believe that people thought that silly rumor was true."

Emil looked back to his friend. "What rumor?"

He didn't make any indication, but Kratos was listening to every word.

"Oh yeah, you weren't living with Dirk and Lloyd yet when it started. Well, people were saying that Lloyd was the son of an angel and was brought to the village to protect us. Nobody wanted to take care of Lloyd before he was declared the Chosen, but when they found out, the Mayor even tried to take him from Dirk!"

Emil's eyes turned red in an instant. "Even if you're not related by blood, family is family! Nobody has the Martel-given right to separate children, parents, and siblings from each other… At least, that's what I think."

Genis looked disturbed as Emil's eyes turned green again. "I…I'm sorry."

"Hey, don't worry about it."

Kratos felt his anger towards a certain man, or rather some ignorant townspeople, grow stronger.

* * *

In Iselia, everyone met up with the mayor at Colette's house. Kratos was sitting on a wicker chair in the corner as the rest chatted about what had happened around the table. After a few minutes the Mayor silenced everyone.

"I have decided that we shall entrust the protection of the Chosen to Kratos and Raine."

"I have no objections." Kratos agreed.

Lloyd looked a bit crescent fallen. "Wait, what about Emil, Colette, and Genis? Emil is… Emil is my baby brother! I can't just leave him to take care of our 'family' all by himself! Colette knows more about the inner workings of the church thanks to Phaidra and would be a great help! Besides, Raine can barely take care of herself as is!"

Both the Mayor and Raine looked scandalized. "Lloyd, you apologize right-"

Emil held up his index finger. "May we remind you of last week's pot luck?"

The Mayor paled and calmed down, a shiver going down everyone's spine.

Kratos was about to ask, but decided against it. "The battles at the chapel were nothing compared to the journey that awaits us. Children need to stay home."

"Kratos is absolutely right. Now then, we still have things to discuss." The Mayor pointed at Emil and Genis. "You two should go on home."

Frank looked at Colette. "Dear, you should go to your room for now."

"I'll walk you home Emil." Genis offered. Emil graciously accepted the offer.

* * *

As the two set out for the main gate, a cry of terror was heard. The two youngsters sprinted for the gate to see that the cause for all the panic was a certain large, green and white, dog-like creature.

The first guard turned around and spotted the blonde of the duo. "Emil! Do something about this thing!"

"What? He's not a monster?"

The second guard sputtered as he pointed to the large animal. "Your pet! This… creature!"

"Noishe!" The two turned to see Lloyd speeding towards them. He approached the dog and petted him behind the ears. "How many times have I told you not to enter the village?"

"Hey, you always have him bring you to the village! Don't talk to him that way!" Genis scolded.

The second guard then snapped his fingers, like he had remembered something. "Oh, that reminds me. Chosen Lloyd, the Mayor wanted me to ask you a question."

Lloyd grumbled. He hated being called 'Chosen' instead of his real name. "From the Mayor? What is it? I was just with him."

The guard continued. "It's about the northwest forest that you go through. You know there's a human ranch on the way through, right? You haven't been playing near the ranch, have you?"

Lloyd and Emil shook their heads. "Oh course not! Right, Genis?"

"Y… yeah. Of course not."

"Why in Sylvarant would I put my brother in danger?"

The first guard smiled. "Really? If so, that's fine, but… that weird animal…"

Lloyd sighed in frustration. "How many times do I have to tell you that Noishe is a dog?"

Emil then took out a book labeled 'Monsters' and opened it up to a page that had a had a drawing of a monster that looked very similar to Noishe. "He looks more like an Orion to me. You know, like Gaia!"

"Whatever. He just doesn't look like a dog… Anyway, make sure he doesn't go near the ranch, either."

Lloyd laughed. "The Desians came upon our house once and they are more afraid of our 'family' than we are of them!"

_It's a good thing they don't live in Iselia or they would be charged with breaking the treaty._ The guard shivered at the thought the 'family' the Chosen was talking about. "Just be careful, all of you."

Genis nodded rapidly. "We will. See you tomorrow!"

Emil began to lead their long time family pet in the direction of the forest. "Time to go, Noishe."

* * *

AI: Here we are with Chapter 2! *throws confetti* Yay! We finally got through the Temple of Martel, Ratatosk is making an appearance, and Genis is hiding something!... Seriously, it's not a big secret to those who know the game. Yeah, I just love Noishe, and when I saw the Monster Book, I saw a relation between him and a Beast Monster called an Orion. Look up the Monster Book for Dawn of the New World on Youtube to see what I mean. This chapter we also get a hint about Raine's lethal cooking and how it affects others. As of the 4th, I will be in Jacksonville, NC until the 7th so there will not be any updates for any of my stories during those days, but if you find something wrong with the chapters, let me know since I will be able to at least edit my chapters. Hope you guys enjoy what I have up until then!


	3. Chapter 3

AI: Hello everyone! I'm glad to see that I actually have some reviews for this fic! It was a lot of fun to write the first chapter, so I'm going to try and get as many chapters of this up as I can while juggling the other stories I have… yeah, doing as much as I can before classes start up again! Anyway, onto Chapter 2!

Disclaimer: I do not own Tales of Symphonia nor its sequel Dawn of the New World aka Knight of Ratatosk.

Emil happily scratched the large dog behind the ears as they continued their trek back home to the small cabin just beyond Iselia Forest.

Lloyd smiled. After everything that had happened at the Temple of Martel, it was nice to see Emil smiling again.

"By the way, Noishe, why were you trying to go into the village?" The dual swordsman teased.

Noishe whined in response.

Genis played with his kendama as they walked. "He was probably looking for you."

"You think so?"

Emil nodded. "I think so too. He's been with you since you were a kid, right?"

As the brothers and Genis proceed to Iselia Forest, Noishe started whining again, but louder. The boys looked puzzled for a moment before they remembered.

"Ah, that's right. Noishe doesn't like this place."

Lloyd shook his head. "He'll never go near places like this that have lots of monsters. Even though you hardly ever see monsters bigger than him."

Noishe whined again and ran as fast as he could to get out of the area.

Lloyd groaned "Ah, he ran off again! Fine, do whatever you want, Noishe!"

Genis crossed his arms. "I keep thinking, if he's going to run away, he should at least take us with him."

Emil smiled. "Maybe he found out that I made Lloyd's cake!"

Lloyd and Genis turned their heads to the young blonde. "Seriously?"

Emil nodded. "Well yeah! The Day of Prophecy is usually the Chosen's birthday, and today Lloyd turns 17, so I made the cake!"

Lloyd hugged Emil to the point the younger was starting to turn blue. "I love my little brother so very much!"

Lloyd then let go of Emil and ran off after Noishe. "That's my cake, Noishe! There is no way you're getting the first piece!"

Genis and Emil looked at each other.

"I wish he was THIS fast when I would go and pick him up from the weekly lessons from the Priests."

* * *

Emil and Genis walked through the forest for a bit longer, taking in the scenery and defeating a few stray monsters here and there. Soon they came across a fork in the road.

Genis jogged over to the path leading to the left. "Here's my stop."

Emil gasped. "At the Desian human ranch? Doesn't going there violate the non-aggression treaty?"

Genis narrowed his eyes. "The Desians already attacked the temple and tried to kill Lloyd!"

Emil shrunk back from the sheer volume of Genis' voice. "Hmm, well, yeah, I guess that's true, but…"

Genis relaxed. "I know I'm not supposed to… But there's someone I just have to tell about the oracle."

Emil nodded and followed this younger friend. "All right. But I'm worried about you going alone, so I'm going with you."

As Emil and Genis approached the Desian human ranch, they held their breath so they wouldn't be caught due to their shouts for the Desians to stop. In the Desian human ranch, it seemed that the human slaves were pushing heavy blocks to a designated area, when it really looked like they were just pushing the blocks around in a circle. One of the female slaves tried to push the block as hard as she could. One of the Desian soldiers cracked his whip on the female slave's back.

"Hey! Stop slacking off, swine!" He snarled

Emil and Genis approached to the left of the entrance to a wired fence, where an old female slave tried to hide in another area.

Genis called out to her in a quiet voice. "Marble."

Marble turned around, a happy look crossing her face. "Genis! Is that one of your friends?"

Emil nodded "Yeah, I'm Emil, brother to Lloyd."

Marble smiled. "I'm pleased to meet you."

Genis took over the conversation. "Marble, did you see it? There was an oracle!"

Marble's eyes sparkled. "Yes I did. I saw the Tower of Salvation. Now, the Chosen's journey of regeneration can finally begin. I hope it is successful this time…"

Emil flinched. "The last Chosen failed, right?"

Marble frowned. "Yes. I heard the Chosen was killed by Desians during the journey."

Genis frowned as well "I wonder if Lloyd will be all right…"

Marble smiled, as if to reassure the duo. "Let us pray to Martel. May she guide the Chosen on a safe journey."

It was then that Emil noticed something sparkling on Marble's hand.

"…Marble. Isn't that an Exsphere?"

Marble raised her hand so the two could get a better look. "Oh, is that what this is called? They placed it on me shortly after I came here."

Emil grimaced. "Yeah, that's definitely an Exsphere. But there's no Key Crest on it. An Exsphere without a Key Crest is dangerous."

Genis looked confused. "What's a Key Crest? And how is it dangerous?"

Emil went into honor-student mode. "Attaching an Exsphere directly to your skin supposedly makes you sick. But ironically, it's useless unless you attach it directly onto the skin. So in order to prevent it from making you sick, you carve a spell into a special ore and use that as a mount for the Exsphere. That's the Key Crest. Remember Kratos earlier today?"

Marble blinked. "You're very knowledgeable."

Emil blushed and looked away. "It's basic knowledge really, it's not really all that special..."

Genis panicked. "But it looks like Marble's Exsphere doesn't have a mount at all!"

Emil looked back at the woman's hand and sighed. "Nope, doesn't look like it at all. If the charm was the only thing needed, I could carve one myself, but there's nothing I can do without the inhibitor ore that acts as the mount..."

Genis became even more worried. "There has to be something you can do, Emil!"

Emil sighed. "It's not as easy as you think. Key Crests are dwarven technology."

You could see the proverbial light bulb appear over Genis' head. "Your dad's a dwarf! Please ask him for help, Emil!"

Emil shifted his feet for a moment before relenting. "Fine, fine. On one condition though, you have to ask him tonight at dinner. If he finds out that I was here, violating the treaty and endangering Lloyd…"

Genis nodded. "All right! That's why I like you, Emil."

Marble looked a bit worried now herself. "Please don't trouble yourselves."

The voice of a Desian soldier cut through the air. "Hey, old hag! What the hell you doin' over there?"

Marble glanced back. "Oh, no! The Desians! Run away, you two! Hurry!"

Genis nodded. "I'm sorry Marble!"

Emil looked back as he ran. "I'm sorry, ma'am!"

As Emil and Genis fled the scene, three Desian soldiers ran towards Marble.

"What are you doing over here? Who said you could slack off? Get back to work!"

Marble shrank under the gaze. "…I'm sorry."

A second soldier sneered at the elderly woman. "What's with that look, huh?"

A third smirked. "Looks like someone's got an attitude problem!"

Marble shook her head. "No, of course not, I…"

The first soldier grabbed her upper arm. "Shaddup! You two, take her to the back! We're gonna give her a little lesson on respect!"

The other two agreed. "Yeah!"

* * *

The Desian soldiers took Marble to the back of the ranch while Emil and Genis hid in the bushes.

"Oh, this doesn't look good. They're taking her to the back!"

Genis was about ready to cry. "But what can we do?"

"There's gotta be something we can do. Let's find higher ground where we can see what's going on in there."

At that exact moment, Emil and Genis spotted the cliff. "It looks like we can go up from here."

Emil and Genis managed to climb to the higher level of the cliff. When they got high enough, they were able to see Marble being whipped by the Desian soldiers. Genis and Emil felt shocked that the Desians would go as low as to harm an innocent old woman.

Genis was far more disgusted by the actions. "She's…"

Emil tightened his fist "… We've gotta save her!"

"But how?"

"You attack the Desians from here with magic. You're skilled with Fireball, right?"

"What? Aren't we gonna get in trouble?"

Emil gave a growl. "We don't have a choice! Afterwards, hide among the bushes and make your way back to the village. I'll act as a decoy."

Genis paled. "But that'll put you in danger! It'll put your entire FAMILY in danger!"

Emil gave him a thumbs up. "Don't worry. I'll head down the cliff so they don't see my face, then I'll run in the opposite direction from the village."

Genis thought for a brief moment before nodding. "…Okay! You should replenish your energy before we do this. I've got an Apple Gel. Here."

As Emil ate the Apple Gel and prepared a disguise, Genis used his Kendama to launch a volley of fireballs at the three Desian soldiers. The fireballs struck the soldiers.

"What the?"

Emil made his move by jumping to the main ground near the ranch, making sure that his entire head was was covered by his scarf.

"There he is! Stop him!"

"Open the main gate!" One of the Desians finally ordered.

As main gate opened and the Desian soldiers searched for Emil, the slaves ran up and started checking on Marble.

"Are you all right, Marble?"

"Quickly, come this way!"

Marble whispered silently to herself. "Genis, Emil …thank you." She then turned to the sky. "O Goddess Martel, please watch over them, and watch over the Chosen Lloyd."

* * *

"Genis, you owe Lloyd homework, okay?"

Genis nodded. "…Okay."

Emil unwrapped his face once they knew that it was safe. "All right then, I'm gonna head on home. You should head back to the village. I'll see you later tonight for dinner!"

Genis smiled. "Emil, thanks for helping Marble."

Emil ruffled his friend's hair. "Hey, that's what friends are for, right?"

* * *

"Analyze the data from the gate surveillance system!"

"Yes, sir!"

Back at the Human Ranch, a half-elf with a shining weapon fixed on his arm and an eye-patch was shouting orders. He looked over the ledge that Emil had jumped down from a bit earlier as a getaway. "How did a mere human make that kind of jump?"

* * *

Meanwhile, during Emil and Genis' little adventure, Lloyd had exited the forest and proceeded to his home. Lloyd smiled when he saw Noishe in his pen.

Looking to his left Lloyd gave a sad smile. "I'm home, Mom…"

Lloyd walked over to the grave and kneeled down in front of it. "I turned 17 today Mom, and I received the oracle. As you can guess, today was the Day of Prophecy. I'm going to regenerate the whole WORLD Mom, and I'll seal away the Desians so they can't hurt anyone else!" Lloyd then frowned. "I'm kinda scared Mom. I'm scared that once I go, the Desians will attack the village. If anything happened to Emil, or Dad, or Genis, or Colette… dear Martel, Colette… I wouldn't know WHAT to feel.

"Professor Sage is coming with us on this trip. As for the monsters… I dunno. Onyx and Jord are definitely coming… maybe Gale too… I wish I could bring some others… Oh, we also have a mercenary named Kratos travelling with us. Emil doesn't like him much. I think that it has something to do with the 'Big Guy' myself."

Lloyd's stomach growled, loudly. "Oops! Sorry Mom. I guess I need to refuel. I'll talk to you more tomorrow before I leave okay?" The dwarven raised teen stood up. "I love you Mom."

Lloyd then walked into his house.

* * *

"Dad, I'm home!"

Dirk, the dwarf that had reared him since childhood, looked up from his work with a smile. Dirk put down the tools he was working with and cleaned his hands on his work apron. "Welcome back."

Lloyd smiled. "Hi, Dad."

Dirk hugged Lloyd the best that he could. "Uh, Dad, what are you doing?"

Dirk pulled back. "I heard everything from Gale when she went to ya earlier, and she told me everythin' that happened today. I'm so proud of ya and yer brother."

Lloyd smiled when Dirk went over and picked up a large pot. "Made yer fav'rite tonight. Dwarven Potluck Surprise, with no tomatoes."

Out of the corner of his eye, Lloyd spotted the cake that Emil had made.

"I swear, you two are the best family a guy could ask for!"

It was then that Emil burst in through the door, panting. "Say Dad, is there any chance you could make me a Key Crest?"

Dirk raised an eyebrow "Why do you need a Key Crest all of a sudden?"

Emil straightened up. "I met someone today who has an Exsphere without a Key Crest. An Exsphere without a Key Crest is bad for you, right? Or, wait, don't tell me that it's too late once you've attached an Exsphere without a Key Crest to your body."

Dirk shook his head as he got some dishes out. "Nah, not at all. But even removing an Exsphere that lacks a Key Crest is dangerous. So the only thing to do is make an accessory out of inhibitor ore and carve the charm into that, making it into the Key Crest instead. Lloyd, help me set up the table."

"Okay!"

Emil smiled. "Hmmm. And then it'll be okay, huh? Then, could you make me a bracelet as soon as possible?"

Dirk placed the soup pan on the table with a loud resounding 'clang' as it hit the table. "Just a minute. The Exsphere with no Key Crest that you're talking about who has it?"

Emil paled. "Huh? Ah…uhh…a traveler. A traveling mercenary!"

"Uh, Emil..." Lloyd then shut his mouth when Emil gave him a pleading look.

Dirk was quick to catch on. "Baloney. Exspheres are basically only used by Desians. If he took one from a Desian, it should already have a Key Crest on it."

"Uhh, well…"

"Dwarven Vow #11: Lying is the first step to the path of thievery! Tell me the truth. Why do you need a Key Crest?"

Lloyd had to admit, he was curious too. "What's going on bro?"

Emil looked down at his feet. "… I met someone at the ranch today who had an Exsphere equipped without a Key Crest."

Dirk's face slowly turned red. "You went to the ranch?"

Emil paled even more. "I…I'm sorry. A bunch of stuff happened, and…"

"You didn't let the Desians see your face, did you? Do they know who you are or where you live?"

Emil shook his head. "No, don't worry, I made sure. But there was this old lady and she had an Exsphere and-"

Dirk held up his hand and walked to the other room. "I know where this is going. You two wait here, I need to show ya something, both of ye." A few seconds later, he came walking out with a small leather pouch that was faded from age. He opened it and out of the pouch fell a shining blue Exsphere.

"What is that?"

Dirk sighed. "This Exsphere is your mother's keepsake, Lloyd. I found Noishe carrying it in his mouth the day I found ya. The Desians killed your mother in order to take it from her. Said that it was something important. Some Angel Project or somethin'."

Lloyd felt the world fall out from under him. "…They did?"

Dirk nodded. "I told you about how I found you at the cliff near the ranch, right? Your mother was still conscious at that time, so she explained everything. There's no doubt about it. I thought that you would be wearing this and not your Cruxis Crystal…"

Lloyd fell back into his chair, stunned. Emil turned back to Dirk, anger clearly written on his face "Why didn't you ever tell him?"

Dirk sighed and placed the Exsphere back in its pouch. "If I had, both of you'd have run out and tried to take revenge on the Desians. The Tower of Salvation appeared today. Just leave the rest to yer brother. That'll take care of the Desians, too." Dirk approached Emil. "Don't get involved with the Desians. Anna protected Lloyd and that Exsphere with her life. Don't go throwing either away."

Emil gave a hopeful smile. "…So will you make me the Key Crest?"

"Have you been listening at all?"

"Yeah, I heard you, But you can't expect me not to do anything now that we know!"

Dirk threw a punch at Emil, but he quickly evaded the punch and jumped back.

"Ugh! You don't have to hit me!"

Emil grumbled under his breath and ran out of the house, ignoring the calls from his brother to come back. When he looked to his right, Emil flushed when he saw Kratos and the others.

"Oh… let me guess…you heard that just now?"

Raine nodded and pushed her guilty-looking younger brother forward. Genis shuffled his feet. "I'm sorry, because of me, you…"

Emil shook his head. "It's okay, it's not your fault."

Genis blushed from embarrassment. "The Desians are half-elves, right? So does that mean half-elves are responsible for Mrs. Anna's death?"

Emil shrugged. "Well, not all half-elves are Desians, right? I don't care if they're half-elves or not."

Genis stuttered. "Y…yeah…"

It was at that moment that Lloyd opened the door with a hefty sigh. "Emil, come inside with everyone. The Potluck Surprise is getting cold."

Emil sighed. "I'm coming in."

Lloyd smiled. "That's good."

Colette smiled. "You're having Potluck Surprise!"

Lloyd smiled. "With no tomatoes!"

Kratos shrugged and muttered to himself. "Well, when in Meltokio, as they say."

* * *

The formerly somber scene turned into one full of laughter, completely changing the mood. Everyone laughed as refill after refill came each-others way full of the soup, but the prize had yet to have been found.

Kratos was still on his first bowl as he leaned over to Raine. "So, what is the point of this?"

Raine laughed. "It's a Dwarven Tradition. They make a stew and put some prize, like jewelry or a rare ore, into the stew. Whoever gets the trinket wins."

Kratos shrugged as he scooped another spoonful of the new dish, a faint look of surprise crossing his face when a rather large stone filled his wooden utensil, with a rather long cord attached to it.

Dirk laughed loudly. "Looks like the new guy got the Poison Charm!"

The room was then filled with the groans of the children who didn't win.

Dirk then passed a basin full of water. "Ya might want this."

Kratos nodded and proceeded to clean off his prize.

Raine then stood up from her chair. "I just remembered! I brought some cookies that I made this morning! I left them on your bench." The Professor then ran outside.

Lloyd looked over at Kratos. "You're going to need that charm."

Everyone's laughter was cut short by a shout of surprise.

Everyone rushed outside to see a Hippogryph, laying on its side, looking as sick as Noishe during flu season last year, and a certain Professor fretting over it.

"Boys, your Hippogryph ate the cookies I brought!"

Emil looked like he was told that he was actually a Desian that had lost his memory. "ATHENOS!"

* * *

"Are you done with your cake?"

Lloyd glanced over at Colette. "Yeah, let's go up to the terrace."

Colette nodded. "Sure."

"Oh Lloyd, Happy Birthday, by the way."

Lloyd scratched the back of his neck. "Heh, well… thanks. I'm glad I was able to live to this day."

Colette tilted her head to the side. "What are you talking about? You're going to keep on living and regenerate the world, right?"

"…Yeah."

Colette looked up at the stars. "So about tomorrow… I can't come along with you either, can I?"

Lloyd shook his head. "Well, if it's any consolation, Emil can't come either. It's just that the Desians will be after us and it's going to be a dangerous journey." Lloyd's expression turned darker. "Desians… up till now. I always thought my mom died in an accident. … But she was murdered by Desians! Now that I know the truth, there's no way that I can keep living in a village that has a treaty with them."

Colette nodded. "…I understand."

Raine then came up to the terrace. "Colette, it's time to take you home."

Colette nodded. "Alright Professor Sage. I'll be down in a minute."

Raine nodded and left the two alone again.

The two teens looked at each other and laughed. Raine always knew how to change the mood with just an appearance.

* * *

As Lloyd and Emil bid their friends good night, the older of the two caught sight of Kratos at his mother's grave. Lloyd then walked over to the traveling warrior.

Kratos motioned to the headstone. "Whose gravestone is this?"

Lloyd sighed. "Ah, you heard, right? It's my mom's."

Kratos had a far off look in his eyes. "Anna… hmm… Is your father alive?"

Lloyd shook his head. "My real dad… to be honest …I don't know. But Dirk is my dad. Though I still can't help but feel what it would be like to see my real dad again."

Kratos inwardly winced as he nodded his head. "…Yes. That was a careless thing to ask. I'm sorry."

Lloyd shook his head. "Not a lot of people know about my mom. To know that her memory is living on, through anyone actually, makes me feel happy."

Kratos closed his eyes. "I understand. I'll be picking you up tomorrow at noon with Professor Sage so be prepared."

Lloyd rolled his eyes. "Dad made me do it this morning in case today was the day. He can be over the top when it comes to preparing."

"WHY MARTEL WHY?"

Both turned to see that Athenos was doing better… after eating Emil's second slice of cake that is. Lloyd couldn't help it, he laughed. He laughed like it was his last day of life.

* * *

AI: I hope this chapter makes up for my absence! I thought it would be nice to give Lloyd a birthday scene, so I gave him one! We also have some cameos to the 'family' mentioned last chapter. I'm so grateful to everyone who has reviewed so far! Next chapter, we have the attack on the village and Lloyd get kidnapped by the 'Desians' in Triet! Again, if there are any errors, please let me know! See you later everyone!


	4. Chapter 4

AI: Here we are with Chapter 4! I'm glad that some of you liked the birthday scene that I gave Lloyd. Hopefully, I catch all the edits I need to make this time. CURSE YOU FLICKERING LIGHTS! Yeah, storms have been pretty bad here the last couple of weeks. People didn't have power during the heat wave and then when they got it back, we were hit with a powerful storm/tornado and it knocked the power out again. Yeah, sucks to be them.

Disclaimer: I do not own Tales of Symphonia nor its sequel Dawn of the New World aka Knight of Ratatosk.

Emil woke up the next morning to the sounds of Lloyd going over his bags, occasionally muttering to himself. Emil sighed and got up himself. After finishing his morning routine, he blonde looked at his older brother.

"Hey Lloyd?"

Lloyd looked up from packing the last of his necessities. "Yeah Emil?"

Emil shifted his gaze. Lloyd put his bag down and sat down on his bed, patting a spot next to him. "Emil, what's wrong? You know we can share everything."

Emil sat down next to his red-clad brother. "It's just… when the world is regenerated, people will see you as a hero, just like Mithos."

Lloyd nodded stiffly. "Yeah, I guess I will be."

Emil then hugged Lloyd, shocking the elder brother. "Emil, what's wrong?"

Emil tried not to cry. "Promise you'll come back Lloyd! Promise that you'll never forget me!"

Lloyd hugged him back. "Emil, you're my brother and my best friend in the entire world. Nothing is going to change that."

After a few seconds, Emil pulled back. "Sorry about that Lloyd."

Lloyd shook his head. "You shouldn't feel sorry about having moments like this."

"If ye two are done up there, breakfast is getting' cold."

Both brothers laughed as they walked downstairs, the cloud of melancholy long forgotten.

* * *

Emil sighed as he finished putting his dishes away. "Dad… about yesterday. I just…"

"Think nothing of it, Emil. You were just going by what I taught ye." Dirk then revealed a glittering golden accessory. "Here… that's the Key Crest you wanted. You can use it however you like. Just remember, I did try to stop you."

Emil gingerly took the crest, a face splitting smile crossing his features. "Dad! Thanks!"

Dirk crossed his arms. "Dwarven Vow #2: Never abandon someone in need. I'm just going along with the teachings."

Emil clutched the Key Crest to his chest. "Dad, I'm going on the journey. I don't care what others say, I'm going to help Lloyd regenerate the world and get my memories back along the way."

Dirk smiled. "…Yeah. I figured you were going to say that. Take this with you. I've put together some things you'll need for your trip."

Emil caught the fairly large sack that was thrown at him. He opened it to see that there were a few gels, bottles, and a Map of Sylvarant. Emil's eyes widened when he saw a large bag of Gald sitting on the bottom.

"Dad, this is all our Gald, your life savings! I can't take this!"

Dirk shook his head. "I already gave Lloyd his share. I was saving it for this day."

Emil looked up from the bag "So you're forgiving me?"

Dirk sighed. Emil was never one to read the mood. "…Yeah. But remember, this is your home. You both are still my sons, regardless of blood. Come back here any time you're tired."

Emil nodded as he slung the bag over his shoulders. "…We will. Wish us luck!"

Dirk called after his youngest as the boy opened the door. "Emil! Don't ever forget Dwarven Vow #7!"

Emil thought for a moment before it dawned upon him. "Vow #7: "Goodness and love will always win"…right? Man, Lloyd always complains that's such a cheesy line for anyone to be saying these days. Don't worry, I won't forget it."

As Emil walked outside, he motioned to Noishe. "Let's go, Noishe! It's time to regenerate the world!"

As Noishe approached Emil; Genis , Raine, and Kratos came walking up the path.

Genis walked up to Emil, annoyance clearly written on his face. "Emil! Is Lloyd still here?"

Emil ignored the last statement. "Genis! Good timing. I got my dad to make Marble's Key Crest!"

Genis faltered a bit, but then straightened up. "That's good and all, but where is Lloyd? The village wants to see him off."

Emil motioned to where Lloyd was kneeling. "He wants to say good-bye to his Mom first. He's been there since he finished breakfast."

Genis looked down, embarrassed. "Sorry."

* * *

While Raine began to lecture Genis, Kratos made his way over to where Lloyd was. "Chosen, we came to retrieve you."

Lloyd instantly stood up, ready to draw his blades, but relaxed when he saw Kratos. "Oh, it's just you. Yeah, I had a feeling you guys were going to come for me."

Kratos crossed his arms. "There is no need to be bitter about us coming to get you."

Lloyd's shoulders slacked. "Sorry, it's just the villagers think that just because I'm the Chosen, they think that they know better and treat me like I'm still a kid. They think that I can't take care of myself and it just feels like they want to control everything, but I'm not their doll."

Kratos forehead furrowed at this. "Humans are stubborn and foolish creatures. They think that they are superior and have the right to do whatever they please, but in the end, they end up causing more destruction than they realize."

Lloyd stared at him for a while. "… That's really deep, man."

"Lloyd, you still have to get your things correct?" Raine called out

Lloyd's face turned into one of shock. "Oh, right! I left my bag in my room! Um, is it okay for you guys to wait a little bit longer?"

Kratos nodded. "Go ahead. Besides, I would like to pay my respects to your mother as well."

Lloyd was shocked for the second time that day.

"What?"

Lloyd composed himself. "Sorry, it's just that none of the villagers that ever come to visit us try to visit Mom. Thanks."

Kratos watched as Lloyd retreated to his house to retrieve his things before turning back to the grave, a sad gleam in his eyes. "Anna, I am sorry that Lloyd was chosen to have this fate."

* * *

"Now, you got everythin', right?"

"Yes Dad."

"You made that contract with the monsters?"

"Yes Dad."

"Now, when you get to the Katz Guild in Triet, let them know that you need yer Summoner's Ring tuned so you can have access to all yer monsters and don't have to keep coming back here."

"Don't worry Dirk, I'll remind him."

Dirk nodded. "Thank ya Raine. Now, you, Mister Mercenary, when this is all said and done with, I want you to bring back my boys, both of them, got it? If anything happens to them, I'll introduce you to Mjolnir, you got it?"

Dirk's statement was the punctuated by lifting a very battle-scarred and heavy looking large hammer over his shoulder.

Kratos nodded. "I'll make sure that they both are safe."

Raine sighed. "Remind me again how Emil managed to worm his way into this?"

Lloyd smiled. "I would feel much better with my brother traveling with us and helping us than worrying about my safety here in the village."

Raine sighed. "Lloyd, this is unfair to Genis and Colette."

Lloyd raised an eyebrow. "Well, I think that it's unfair that despite never harming a fly, Emil is the one that everyone whispers about behind his back and says that he is the reason more monsters have been appearing in the area."

Raine blushed and looked away. She had heard the rumors and never spread them, but she never defended Emil either.

Emil blushed. "You didn't have to say that Lloyd."

"I'm providing a valid excuse for my argument."

Raine looked at Lloyd with a strange expression. "That's a lot of big words you're using Lloyd."

Lloyd shrugged. "It comes and goes."

Suddenly, a howl interrupted anything the group was going to say.

Emil felt drawn to the howl and tried to shake it off, but there was a strange feeling of longing filling him. _Why do I feel like monsters are calling me? It's because of stuff like this that make people say it's my fault that monsters keep appearing. I've got to ignore it! It's just my imagination! But it's so hard to ignore._

"Emil, are you okay?"

Emil jumped. "Oh yeah, I'm fine! Sorry…"

Lloyd patted his head. "No worries remember?"

Everything changed when a loud noise was heard coming from the village. It was accompanied by the screams of the townsfolk.

"What was that?" Genis cried out.

Lloyd paled. "Oh no, Colette! We have to save her!"

Lloyd ran down the path leading to the town along with Jord, Onyx, and Gale. The three high leveled monsters cut down any of the smaller monsters that attempted to attack him.

* * *

Iselia, the famed Village of Oracles, was in flames. Houses were being burnt down by the Desians, a man with an eye patch watching from a distance. Lloyd watched in horror as two Desian soldiers were blocking a door to one of the burning house, the tenants screaming to be let out.

"Hahahaha! Burn! Burn!"

The second soldier turned around and saw Lloyd. "Look! Another survivor!

Lloyd was immediately flanked by his three monsters.

The first soldier snarled. "So what if he has monsters? Kill them! Kill all the miserable worms!"

Lloyd growled at them. "You'll pay for this!" He turned to the monsters. "Gale, fly around and help the other townspeople. Onyx, get the people out of the house. Jord, you're with me!"

* * *

"G… get back!"

Two Desian soldiers were approaching a guard who was protecting the school house. Outnumbered, the man was prepared to die fighting.

He then found reprieve in the form of Gale and Genis.

Genis raised his kendama and aimed a spell at the two Desians. "Aqua Edge!"

* * *

Raine stared in horror in front of her burning home. "Our… our house! Thank goodness Genis wasn't here when this happened!"

* * *

The Desian Captain walked into the town square. "Emil Irving! Come forth!"

The Chosen's group rushed up to the town square, most of their faces were grim.

Lloyd glared at the man. "You've come to attack the village again? I've had enough of this!"

A Desian soldier looked at Lloyd in confusion. "What are you talking about?"

"He speaks nonsense. Ignore him."

It was then the man with the eye patch addressed the crowd. "Listen up, inferior beings! I am Forcystus, one of the Five Desian Grand Cardinals. I am a superior half-elf who rules over the farm where we cultivate you pathetic humans."

"… Half-elf…" Genis muttered to himself.

Forcystus shouted again. "Emil! You, a _human_, have been found guilty for the crime of violating the non-aggression treaty. Therefore, I bring judgment upon you and this village!"

Genis shook a fist at the man. "You violated the treaty, too! You tried to murder the Chosen!"

Forcystus and the Desian captain briefly glanced at each other in confusion before nodding to themselves, grinning.

"Us, kill the Chosen? Hahaha! I see now. '_They'_ must be after the Chosen."

Lloyd raised an eyebrow. "'They'? Are you saying you aren't the ones that attacked the Temple?"

Forcystus scoffed. "I have no need to explain myself to the likes of you." The half-elf then turned to Emil. "The only thing that matters is that you, Emil Irving, have been in contact with host body F192 and attacked our guards."

The mayor approached Emil, anger twisting his face.

"What have you done, you stupid boy? How many times have we told you to stay away from the ranch?"

Emil shrank under the old man's glare. "… I'm sorry."

Forcystus smirked. "We've prepared an appropriate opponent for your crime! Send in the Exbelua!"

Many people screamed as a large monster was dragged into the village, it's bright veins visible on the darkened and stretched skin.

"…What is that thing?" Someone screamed.

Forcystus cackled. "Now, receive your punishment!"

* * *

Lloyd froze as Emil and Genis rushed towards the large monster. He didn't know why, but for some reason, this monster seemed familiar to him. He didn't register Raine and Kratos trying to drag him out of the village through a different route. He gasped when an age old memory resurfaced.

_A younger Lloyd flinched as his mother's voice became deeper and monstrous._

"_B-but Mommy-"_

"_GO!" _

_Lloyd screamed as Noishe took him away from his mother-turned-monster as she fought against the Desians sent to capture her._

"GENIS! EMIL! YOU HAVE TO STOP, THAT'S A PERSON!"

Everyone in town turned to Lloyd, a look of wonder on their face.

Genis jumped back from an attack. "What are you talking about?"

Lloyd was breathing heavily now. "My mom… dear Martel my Mom…"

Forcystus had enough of Lloyd's babbling. "Will you spit it out?

Lloyd somehow shook off Kratos and Raine as he drew his swords. "When an Ex-Sphere is removed from a person lacking a Key Crest, they turn into monsters." He pointed a sword at the Desian Cardinal. "My mom became one of those monsters because of you Desians, and you killed her! All for your little Project!"

Forcystus blinked. "Project, could he mean…" The Cardinal then smirked, maybe this could work in his favor. "What are you talking about? Your mother was… never mind, just hand over her Ex-sphere! I know you have it somewhere in this village!"

Before he could take another step, the Exbelua got up from Emil and Genis' assault and restrained Forcystus with its long and gangly arms.

"Run…away…Genis, Emil…"

Genis was puzzled when he recognized the voice. "Wh… what was that voice? It… sounded like… Marble?"

Emil looked sick "… It can't be!"

Marble's voice rang through the silence. "Uh…ugh…guh… Get away…hurry! … Genis…you were like a grandson to me. Thank you. Goodbye…"

The Exbelua, or rather Marble, self-destructed while holding onto Forcystus. The monster that Marble became was gone, her Exsphere rolling towards Genis's feet. Genis picked it up, his hand shaking.

Forcystus grunted as he stood up from the impact, his soldiers surrounding and protecting him from anyone who had a stray idea that they could attack their leader. The Desians looked back at the village before retreating, but not before giving one last threat.

"As long as Emil lives in your village, we will always hunt him down!"

* * *

Genis hugged the Ex-Sphere to his chest "M… Marble!… Marble! No! Nooooo!"

Lloyd tuned every sound out. The memory of his mother was too fresh in at the moment, especially with the destruction that was happening around him. Emil was hugging his brother tightly, the fact that he had a hand in Marble's death weighed heavy on his heart.

The Mayor was livid. "What have you done? Look! Look what happened to our village! It's all _your_ fault!"

Emil bowed his head. "I'm sorry…"

"You think you can fix this by apologizing? The Desians marked you as their enemy! As long as you are here, this village will never be at peace. Do you understand you insolent little fool!"

The Mayor raised a hand to strike the boy, but it was caught before it could make contact with the skin. The Mayor looked to see a man with auburn hair and glasses tightly gripping his wrist.

"You would stoop so low as to strike a child? For what, helping a person in need?"

The Mayor sputtered. "Any involvement with the ranch is forbidden. There are no exceptions!"

The man tightened his grip. "So it's okay to let people die at the human ranch as long as your village is safe?"

A female villager stepped up. "What's the use? The people at the ranch are just going to rot there, anyway."

The Mayor nodded. "Yes. Had those boys not done something so stupid, the prisoners would have been the only ones that died."

The man let go of the Mayor's wrist. "You humans are all the same…"

Emil let go of Lloyd and stepped up to the man. "That's enough, uh, sir. This was my fault." Emil pivoted to the mayor. "…I'll leave."

Another villager, a woman named Lilia, looked worried. Her son Paul looked up to Emil and Lloyd, even mentoring him after his father had been killed by bandits. "Mayor, surely you don't have to be so strict on a child…"

Another villager yelled back at her. "What are you saying? Do you realize how many people died here because of him?"

Genis ran up to the Mayor. "It's not Emil's fault! I'm the one that took him to the ranch. So it's my fault!"

The Mayor waved his hand, dismissing the young elf. "But it's Emil the Desians are after. And besides, Emil isn't from this village to begin with. He's an outsider, raised by a dwarf."

That struck a chord in Lloyd, snapping him from whatever depression he was experiencing. "Hey, I resent that you greedy old, power hungry, buffoon!"

The Mayor rounded on Lloyd. "As if you're no better! You should have stayed in our village instead of living with that non-human!"

Lloyd glared at the man with full force. "You didn't give a DAMN about me until you found out I was the Chosen so don't you DARE start that 'holier than thou' crap with me, you windbag!"

"You're nothing but the Church's puppet, so just stay quiet in official village affairs!"

Lloyd felt numb for a second. Then, a rush of anger flowed through him and he unleashed it in the form of a punch to the Mayor's face. The dual swords user then grabbed his bag and ran out of the village, his monsters following.

"Lloyd, wait!" Everyone watched as for the first time they could remember, Colette ran after Lloyd without tripping.

The Mayor clutched his nose; no doubt it was broken now. "Banishment! All of you Irving brats are banished until the Journey of Regeneration is finished!"

Genis stomped his foot. "Then I'm leaving, too. I'm just as guilty as they!" With that, Genis ran after Colette.

Emil looked over at Genis with a saddened expression. "Genis… you don't have to do this."

Emil was joined by Raine, Kratos, and the mystery man as he too ran after Lloyd.

* * *

"Lloyd! Lloyd, where are you? We don't have time for this, young man, Chosen or not!"

Emil marched in front of everyone else in the group. It had been a good half hour since they left the village, but they had yet to find Lloyd since he ran out of the burning village.

Kratos sighed. "I hope the Desians didn't get to them first. It would complicate things even more."

The mystery man nodded. "I understand that, but I think that your Mayor went overboard back there."

Emil glanced back at their new companion. "He called Lloyd a 'doll' back there too. Lloyd hates being called that! If I wasn't so worried about my brother, I would go back there and introduce the Mayor to my sword!"

Raine stopped her calling. "Um, Emil, you have a wooden sword."

"… I could still have given him splinters!"

* * *

Meanwhile, with Lloyd's group, Lloyd has helping Genis equip Marble's memento with the Key Crest that Emil received from Dirk earlier that day. Currently, he was placing the Crest on Genis, but making sure that it would hurt his friend as minimum as possible.

"Hey Lloyd, how did you get the Crest? Wasn't it in Emil's bag?"

Lloyd looked up from his work and motioned to the bag. "Dad gave Emil his giant bag, so we put all our stuff in it after I got my bag from our room."

Noishe then surprised Lloyd and the others with a howl. Colette noticed that their canine companion was digging through the bag before finding a folded piece of paper tied to a book.

Colette took the parcel from the large dog. "What's that in your mouth Noishe?"

Lloyd was finally done with his work. "Oh. Thanks, Noishe. Let's see what is says guys…"

Lloyd unrolled the parchment. "It's… a letter from Dad."

"From Dirk?" His friends chorused.

Lloyd nodded. "Yeah. I wonder what's written in it."

Colette clapped her hands. "Wow Lloyd, your Dad wrote you and Emil a letter! How nice! Read it out loud for us?"

"Sure. Okay, it says...

_Dear Lloyd and Emil,_

_Did you read the Traveler's Guide? It has the seven most well-known Dwarven Vows as well as knowledge necessary for your journey written in it. Make use of this information and be sure to protect each other. 14 years have passed since I found you, Lloyd, and started raising you. You were still barely able to walk. I remember how you were scared of me and always crying. It's been two years since you came into our lives, Emil, and I remember how timid you were back then. And now, you've grown into strong swordsmen. I'm grateful for you calling me, a non-human, your father. Someday, when you both are full-grown men, I'll have a gift for you. Keep that in mind as something to look forward to as you go out there and fight. Now, you better come back in one piece, both of you, or else, you hear me?"_

Lloyd smiled. "…Dad."

_"P.S. It's not written in the Traveler's Guide, so I'll write here about how to use EX Gems. They truly are useful little buggers. Read it carefully and reference it as needed."_

Lloyd folded the letter and placed it inside the Traveler's Guide for safe keeping before repacking it. "C'mon, we have to find Emil and the others."

"No need for that, dear brother o' mine!"

Everyone in Lloyd's group looked up to see Emil step out of the bushes, pushing aside a few branches which resulted in having a few leaves fall into his hair. After stepping out of the foliage, Raine and the other two males followed.

Lloyd instantly felt guilty that they had followed him for such a distance. "I'm sorry to have troubled you with all this."

The mystery man shook his head. "No need to apologize. Everyone was functioning on their last reserves of energy back at the village, so it was understandable if their emotions were on edge as well. We are just relieved that you are safe Lloyd."

Lloyd blinked. "Wow, you've got to be the first guy not to call me Chosen upon first meeting me. Anyways, who are you?"

The man straightened. "My name is Richter, Richter Abend. I am a scholar. I wanted to see the Village of Oracles and how they were preparing for your journey, but it seems I arrived during a… less than promising time."

Emil ducked his head. "I'm sorry, it was entirely my fault."

Richter shook his head. "You children stood up for what you thought was right. Courage is the magic that turns into reality."

"Huh?" Emil look confused. That line seemed familiar.

"They're words a human with a few screws loose said long ago."

Kratos turned Lloyd around and started pushing him. "We need to get to Triet as fast as we can. There is no doubt that the Desians are on our trail."

Raine nodded. "He's right. We should get on the monsters and ride them for a while. That should give us a head start."

Emil nodded. "Okay, Genis and Raine can take Noishe. Colette and I can take Jord. Kratos, can you, Richter, and Lloyd take Onyx?"

* * *

Kratos and Richter looked over the Tiamat that was Onyx. It was gargantuan, blue, and looked ready to eat them.

Lloyd smiled from his spot atop Onyx's head. "He's nothing but a big softy. Hop on!"

* * *

When looking back on the journey, Emil would sum up the Triet Desert in a handful of words: hot, sandy, dull, and boring as hell.

When they arrived in the town, that's when the fun really began. Upon entering the town, a Desian 'Wanted' poster was seen hanging from the town's announcement board, the poster had not only Emil, but Lloyd as well.

Needless to say, Emil was not amused by the art.

"… Are we really this ugly?"

Genis shrugged. "It's good. They'll never find you with this… I think."

Richter adjusted his glasses. "The rest of us will worry about supplies. Emil and his brother should stay at the inn and out of sight from the enemy. We'll leave at first light in the morning."

Genis nodded. "I'll watch over them to make sure they don't wander off."

Kratos tossed them a small sack of Gald. "This should cover all of us."

Colette gave Kratos a questioning look. "How do you know how much it costs for the inn?"

"I am a mercenary. I have passed through here a couple of times during my travels."

"I see. That's some good information to know!"

Raine then took the funds from Kratos and split it. "Colette never had the chance to pack her things, so we'll be going shopping! Kratos, you and Richter can get some more supplies, mostly food though. It's my turn to cook tonight!"

Everyone but Richter blanched.

Richter nodded. _Maybe I can get more information as to where Marta went._

* * *

It took two full minutes for Lloyd to get bored. Genis was guarding the door that lead to his freedom. Noishe was outside with the other monsters. Emil was reading the letter and book their Dad had given them.

"Can we go to the Katz Guild Stall and get the Summoning Ring tuned?"

Emil looked over the top of his book. "Colette is taking care of it."

"How does it work? Isn't summoning a lost Arte?" Genis asked.

Emil marked his page and put the book down. "It's different from traditional summoning. Traditional summoning involves taking something from one plain of existence and bringing it to another, like the Spirit World and our World. This summoning involves taking monsters from one area and bringing them to another. We can only have four at a time with us though. Any more than four puts a strain on the ring's energy."

Genis nodded. "Don't you only have three with you? You brought Jord, Onyx, and Gale, but you have room for one more!"

Emil picked up his book again with a smile. "We're waiting to see what kind of trial the first Seal involves, then we'll summon a monster that will help us out the most!"

Genis looked at Lloyd. "I can see why he is the smart one of the family."

Lloyd shot up from his bed. "I'm SO sorry if I'm not a prodigy like some, Genis!"

Genis flinched. "I'm sorry Lloyd. I didn't mean it like that!"

Lloyd flopped back onto his bed. "No Genis, it's my fault. I just hate that I can't go outside! I get… Emil, what's the word again?"

"Stir-crazy." Emil responded, not looking up from the book.

"Thanks! I get stir-crazy!"

Genis shook his head as Lloyd walked to the door. "I'm not letting you out Lloyd."

Lloyd slumped his shoulders. "Fine."

The brunette Chosen sulked his way into the bathroom and slammed the door. After a few minutes, Emil sighed and looked over at his silver haired friend.

"He snuck out through the bathroom window, didn't he?"

Genis introduced his palm to his forehead. "I'll get Raine and Colette, you get Kratos and Richter. Promise me you won't be like that when you get to be Lloyd's age."

Emil glanced at Genis as he closed his book. "I make no promises."

* * *

Lloyd smiled to himself as he sneaked his way through Triet. He didn't know why he had to stay inside that cramped room. He could handle himself!

Lloyd cheered. "I'm finally free! Heh, and they said that I needed to be more 'aware of my surroundings' now. I would have to be an idiot to get caught off guard!"

As if someone heard him, thunder ball caught Lloyd off guard by hitting him in the back, effectively knocking him out cold.

* * *

AI: Yay Chapter 4! We finally meet Richter, get a hint of Marta, and have a cameo of Tenebrae! I actually like how this one turned out. I particularly like the relationship Emil and Lloyd have as brothers. What's your favorite aspect so far? What is something you might want to see in future chapters? Just a hint for everyone, Marta will appear in the next Chapter, so get ready everyone!


	5. Chapter 5

AI: Hello again everyone! Last time, Lloyd was kidnapped at the end of the Chapter. What's going to happen to him now? Well, we get the introduction of two more character of our motly crew, Marta and Tenebrae! We also frustrate Yuan a lot in this Chapter as well.

Oh, and someone asked me this in a PM. If you are wondering why I had a journal entry in the first chapter and haven't done it again, well, you'll find out here!

Disclaimer: I do not own Tales of Symphonia nor its sequel Dawn of the New World aka Knight of Ratatosk.

Lloyd groaned as he woke up from a forced rest. That ball of lighting really hurt. He tried moving, but found that he couldn't. The shock had paralyzed him.

"Hold still, I'm going to get you up again."

Lloyd let his gaze fall to his right, where a girl with brown hair and blue eyes was gathering mana. The combination of her features wasn't common on his part of the archipelago that made up Sylvarant, but it was common on the mass that held Palmacosta. This girl must have been pretty far from home.

"Okay, here we go, First Aid!" A dull green glow surrounded Lloyd and gradually, the pain disappeared.

"… Uh… ow!" Lloyd was able to move his body again, but it was a bit numb. "Where am I? Who are you?"

The girl smiled. "My name is Marta, Marta Laudi, and you're in a Desian base near Triet."

Lloyd smiled. "I'm Lloyd, Lloyd Irving. I'm on a journey with my brother and some friends."

Marta cocked her head. "Why would you be traveling? Are you on a pilgrimage or something?"

"Well, sort of. Actually Marta, I…"

"… If so, I feel sorry for that Lloyd kid."

"Yeah. He can't possibly escape execution."

"… Execution? What the hell?" Lloyd exclaimed, his body regaining all of its feeling upon hearing that statement.

Lloyd and Marta ran up to the bars and saw a pair of Desians talking to each other a little ways off from their cell. A third soldier walked up to them.

"Hey, Lord Botta's calling you."

"Gotcha."

The two soldiers left and left the messenger to guard over the cells. The remaining enemy paced in front of the cells, whether they were occupied or empty.

Lloyd gripped the bars. "Dammit. They took my equipment, and I can't open the door with the guard there. The only thing I have on me is the Sorcerer's Ring I got back from Emil…"

Marta sighed. "They were smart to take our things. Without my spinners, I can't concentrate enough to perform a spell. If only we could hit the guard with something…"

Lloyd's face brightened. "That's it! Marta, you gave me an idea!"

"What?"

Lloyd raised his Sorcerer's Ring and waited for the right opportunity. When the window of opportunity presented itself, he hit the Desian soldier with the standard fireball from the Sorcerer's Ring. The Desian soldier yelped from the pain and ran away. The cell door with Lloyd and Marta behind it opened.

Marta jumped for joy. "This is great! Now we just have to find our stuff!"

It didn't take long. Marta and Lloyd walked a few feet before coming across a large chest with not only their stuff, but items that could have belonged to other prisoners.

"We're the only prisoners here." Marta realized, her speech slow as she processed the most possible outcome of the previous tenants.

"They would want their stuff to be put to use." Lloyd reasoned.

The brunettes gathered the few spare gels, bottles, and ores in the trunk. Lloyd was able to find a pair of real steel swords for himself and a third blade, much larger than what he preferred to use. He smiled, knowing Emil would love to use it. The duo exchanged high fives of victory when they were interrupted.

"Who the hell are you?"

Both teens froze. "Uh-oh."

"P… prison break!"

Lloyd whipped out his new blades while Marta armed herself with her spinners.

"This'll be easy!" Marta smirked. She jumped at the first guard. "He's mine! Dancing Swallow!"

Lloyd rushed the second soldier. "Demon Fang!" A small wave of energy stunned the Desian. "Sonic Thrust!"

The Desians fell to the ground, both of them bleeding heavily. Lloyd looked a bit green while Marta seemed physically unaffected, but her eyes betrayed her true emotions.

"First Aid."

Lloyd looked at Marta, who gave a shaky smile. "They'll be fine in a few hours. I took care of the more serious wounds."

Lloyd smiled. "Thank you Marta. I'm not used to fighting, well, mortal beings."

The girl then started pulling on the two white tails coming from the older boy's jacket. "We got to keep moving. Who knows how many soldiers heard them!"

The two bolted for the next room, only see two floating machines and a cauldron-like object with a glowing orb floating above it.

"Hmm? What's this?" Lloyd approached the strange and glowing object. "Let's see…"

Suddenly, the noise of doors opening surprised both of the escapees. Marta quickly pulled the Chosen behind some boxes. At the same time, two Desian soldiers walked into the room.

"Where is he? That kid in red disappeared!"

His partner nodded. "Yeah, the girl with the pigtails did too!"

As the soldiers checked everywhere for the two, Lloyd and Marta covered each others mouths to prevent any sounds from escaping. They listened intently for the Desians to leave so they could move forward with their escape.

The second soldier huffed. "They weren't over there either."

The first soldier rubbed his chin in thought, his gloves creating a soft sound from scratching his stubble. "That's strange. How could we miss them when there's only one message?"

The second Desian shrugged. "Let's head back."

The two Desians left the room, but not before activating the security system. "Oh, yeah. This room has a special mechanism, the Raybits."

A groan of frustration was heard. "It's annoying to go through all the trouble of electrifying them and moving them over the panels just to open the door."

The other chuckled. "Lord Botta sure likes to do things the hard way…"

"All right, let's go look for that kid in red."

The doors closed, and sighs of relief were breathed.

Lloyd looked down at his preferred choice of clothing. "Red, red, red. Does my outfit stand out that much? Sheesh."

Marta rolled her eyes, but with a smile. "Now, let's see… I should take a closer look at that thing."

Lloyd ran up to the cauldron-object and plucked a small amethyst from the glowing orb. Lloyd looked at the ring and saw small slots for gems in the ring. Giving the top a few test twists, Lloyd found that the ring head could move. Placing the new gem into the ring head, next to the default garnet, Lloyd turned the ring so that the amethyst was at the top of the circle, causing the ring to pulse with a new mana signature. He tested it out, but instead of a fireball, a familiar ball of lightning came from the ring.

Marta looked at the ring in wonder. "Your ring is acting strange… The fire changed into a ball of electricity. Maybe we can stop those weird machines with this. I guess we should check out any weird devices like this too."

Lloyd nodded. "If you can distract those 'Rabbit' things, I think I can get them when they hover over their pads and use the Sorcerer's Ring on them!"

"Raybits, Lloyd."

"Yeah, those things!"

* * *

A few minutes later, Lloyd and Marta were celebrating their victory as the doors clicked open.

"All right! It opened!"

Marta smiled at Lloyd. "Wow Lloyd, you're really smart!"

Lloyd smiled back. "You should see my little brother and my best friends. They're even smarter!"

The two walked into the next room. In the center of the room was a large cube that was tilted so it was sitting on its side with green, blue, and red panels around it. To the left were a tablet, most likely the instructions, and three colored spots.

Lloyd groaned, loudly. Marta could only describe it as a sound that could only be made by someone who was either really bored, someone who was really annoyed, or a very large seal in Palmacosta harbor. It would have been loud enough to bring attention that he and Marta were tin the room if the two were still hiding.

"I HATE puzzles! It means that I have to think!"

Marta looked at the giant cube's label with a confused look. "Hey, what's a 'GameCube' Lloyd?"

* * *

After about an hour of frustration, Marta and Lloyd were able to unlock the path they wanted.

Marta punched the air. "We are so out of here!"

This was cut short when the doors they had come through earlier opened, revealing more guards.

Lloyd was surprised. "Whoa?"

The soldier brought out his whip. "Hey, you! What are you doing here?"

Marta covered her mouth. "Uh-oh!"

Lloyd grabbed her arm. "RUN!"

* * *

Meanwhile, in the desert, Emil was on a one-man rescue mission. Well, he was with the others, but whenever an enemy came up, he would backhand them back into the rolling dunes of the desert as he marched his way to the base, following Gale, who had come to get him after seeing where her friend was taken.

Genis was holding onto Raine while Colette took refuge behind Kratos.

Richter raised an eyebrow. This Emil was different from the Emil he met in Iselia.

Emil growled, eyes burning red. "Just wait until I get my hands on you Lloyd! Heck, this is going in the journal!"

Before anyone could ask, Genis answered. "Emil is writing a book about our journey for Dirk."

* * *

Lloyd sneezed a few times. "Why do I have the feeling my brother is going to kill me when he finds me?"

Marta grabbed his coat 'tails' again. "No time, we have to run!"

The two ran into one of the rooms that lined the hallway. The room was nicely decorated with lots of fancy furniture and antiques. It even had carpeting and wallpaper.

Marta sighed. "We ended up someplace where they can find us easily huh?"

Lloyd patted her head. "Who cares? We're safe for now!"

The two brunettes did not notice the man behind them.

"And just who the hell are you?"

Lloyd turned around and brandished his weapons, making sure that he was protecting Marta. Behind him was a half elf with blue hair and battle guard hidden under his cape. His face was blank, but his eyes told the two brunettes that he was planning something.

The Chosen steeled himself. "Give me your name, and we shall give you ours!"

Marta grabbed Lloyd's arm. "Lloyd, what are you doing? I can fight too!"

Lloyd looked back at her. "If a fight breaks out, it'll give you the chance to escape while I hold them off."

The man smirked. "I see, so you're Lloyd." Marta clutched Lloyd's arm a bit more tightly as the man circled them. "I can truly see the resemblance, so you did survive that fall." His smile grew. "If I'm not mistaken…" There was a flash, and the top of Lloyd's jacket was opened. The half-elf's smirk grew wider. "So you're the Chosen of Sylvarant. This makes everything so much easier."

Marta let go of Lloyd. "You're the Chosen? You shouldn't be protecting me! It's supposed to be the other way around!"

Lloyd shook his head. "It's the Chosen's job to not only regenerate the world, but to protect the people of Sylvarant as well!"

The man laughed, amused by the situation. "Hahaha! You certainly have guts." He shook his head. "But I'm afraid I still don't see the need to introduce myself to a miserable little creature like you."

Marta stepped up, hands on her hips. "What a coincidence, cause we don't see a need to introduce ourselves either to a moron who doesn't realize how sick and pathetic he is by kidnapping the Chosen and some random girl!"

Lloyd cheered her on. "You tell that fairy man Marta!"

The man heard something in the back of his mind snap and he started to charge an attack. "Why you little brats…"

Lloyd vaguely recognized the attack as the same one that had knocked him out. Marta held onto the back of his jacket while the elder of the two brought up his swords to protect them. Then he paused and put his swords down, looking at one of the doors in the room.

The man prepared to launch his attack. "What? You're not going to defend yourself and your friend?"

Lloyd shook his head. "It's not that. It's just that I sense a very dark presence coming towards this room, and I have a feeling that I KNOW who it is."

The half elf dismissed his attack and gave Lloyd a look of wonder. "What do you mean 'you know who it is'?"

To answer him, large force then broke down the door. Once the dust settled, Emil was revealed, red eyed and holding the guard he apparently used as a battering ram. "WHERE. IS. MY. BROTHER?"

"Yep, it's him." Lloyd deadpanned. From the tone in his voice and the look on his face, you could tell that the Chosen was used to this type of behavior.

Marta looked at the blonde with interest. "Who is that?"

Lloyd started motioning to Emil and back to the half elf and new companion. "Fairy man, Marta, this is my brother. Emil, this is Marta, and that other guy is the one who probably ordered my kidnapping."

His captor gave him a look of shock. "Does this happen often?"

"You have no idea." Lloyd was pinching the bridge of his nose now, taking deep and calming breaths.

Genis ran over to his best friend. "Lloyd! Are you okay?"

Colette grabbed Lloyd's hands. "Are you all right? Are you hurt?"

Kratos sighed, but he looked relieved. "He looks fine."

Lloyd smiled. "You guys all came for me?"

Emil marched up to Lloyd, eyes blazing their natural emerald green. He lifted his hand and slapped his brother. "I was worried SICK about you! Don't you EVER do that again, you hear me?"

Lloyd didn't seem affected by the slap, but the tongue thrashing he got subdued him a bit. "I'm sorry Emil, it won't happen again if I can help it, I promise."

The caped Desian attempted to get attention focused back on himself. "Um, my men will be here soon to take care of you!"

"Oh Emil, I found this for you!" Ignoring the man, Lloyd thrust out a new steel sword to Emil.

Anger forgotten, Emil accepted the gift. "Thanks Lloyd!"

Botta then came in through a new door. "Sir! We've received reports that the Chosen's group has infiltrated the facility!"

The leader of the base pointed to the group of people that came in for Lloyd. "I know! They're here already!"

Colette gasped when she saw Botta. "You…you're the Desian that attacked Iselia!"

Botta smirked. "So, Lloyd is the Chosen. Now this is amusing!"

"Now they pay attention to us." The caped leader muttered as he made his way to leave. "Botta! I'm leaving for now. Our plans will be ruined if _he _sees me."

"What of the Chosen?"

"I'll leave that to you." The half elf threw his hands in the air out of frustration.

"Understood."

The caped half elf turned back to Lloyd "Chosen Lloyd. The next time we meet, you're mine. Just you wait."

Botta smirked. "Perfect timing. I'll take care of everyone at once!"

Raine lifted her staff. "Get ready."

Lloyd snarled at the man when the hair on the back of his his neck stood up. He pivoted and blocked an attack meant for Marta. Everyone gasped when they saw who the attacker was.

It was Richter.

Emil looked hurt. "Richter, what are you doing? Why did you try to hurt that girl?"

Lloyd kept putting pressure on his own blade. "It has to do with why she was captured, right?"

Richter looked back at Emil as he put more pressure on his blade, attempting to get Lloyd to falter. "Your brother is right! I have been hunting that girl for a while. She wishes to revive the Demon King!"

Marta glared. "Ratatosk is not evil! He can help get Sylvarant its mana back!"

He then turned back to Lloyd. "I was also assigned to kill the Chosen if I were to find him or her, so this must be my lucky day!"

* * *

At that given moment, Kratos felt something rise inside of him. A rare emotion he never felt really.

He remembered feeling it when some Desian grunts had threatened to kill his infant son unless he turned over the Angelus Project and his wife.

He killed them.

Kratos remembered feeling it when some townspeople blamed his son for a Desian attack and threw tomatoes at him, even after the mercenary protected them.

He didn't flinch when he heard that the town had been razed to the ground by a counter attack by the Desians a week later when his family was resting at a House of Salvation.

Kratos remembered feeling it a third and final time when he saw what became of his wife due the experiments performed upon her and could only find one of his sons red shoes.

He felt unspeakable hate. He felt uncontrollable rage.

That was all the swordsman felt when he grabbed Richter's collar and threw him across the room, opposite of his son and his new friend. The auburn haired man left a small crater in the wall he collided with.

"Lloyd, you and your friend are to handle Botta and his minions. The rest of us will hold off Richter until you open an escape path."

In a small flash of light, a white, blue, and black creature that was a cross between an anthropomorphic cat and fish appeared. From her giggle, they could tell that the new arrival was a female. She created a wall of water so that the party was separated, Lloyd and Marta on one side and the rest on the other. "There's no way you can beat Master Richter!"

"Aqua, stand down."

"Right."

* * *

Marta brought out her spinners. "We need to take care of these bozos and quick!"

Lloyd nodded. "Right! Wait, aren't those the soldiers you healed?"

The soldiers shifted uncomfortably, causing Botta to look at them in disgust. "Get out of here, I have no need for you if you hesitate in this battle."

The soldiers ran off in the direction their leader had gone in earlier, giving Marta and Lloyd mock salutes of gratitude.

The two brunette charged at Botta, giving his a barrage of kicks, slashes, and the occasional spell. Botta blocked some of the basic attacks, but was heavily affected by the spells and special attacks, such as Lloyd's 'Demon Fang' and newly acquired 'Sword Rain'.

Botta smirked and lifted his weapon. "Let's see you survive this, Ground Dasher!"

Lloyd and Marta did their best to dodge the flurry of stalagmites headed towards them, but still sustained damage. Marta cried out in pain when the stone spikes pierced her legs. Lloyd rushed over and gave her an Apple Gel.

"Use this! I'll by you some time!"

Lloyd rushed at Botta, a black aura surrounding him. A glint came from his swords. "Alright! Here I go, Tiger Blade!"

Botta brought his own weapon down on Lloyd, but the red clad Chosen leapt over the large sword before slashing at the half elf himself. Botta dropped his weapon as Lloyd flipped out of the way. Marta was back on her feet by now. The two fighters looked at each other and something clicked.

"Marta!"

"Lloyd!"

The two nodded. "Let's do it!"

Lloyd rushed forward again and slashed Botta a few times before back stepping and letting Marta get her fill of slashes and kicks.

Marta let mana flow around her. "This is it! Please work, _Oh frigid blades blow forth_ Icicle!"

Botta was pounded with large pieces of ice that resembled hail more than the sharp blades of ice referenced in the incantation.

Lloyd jumped up. "It's over!" Lloyd gave Botta five more slashes before the larger man went down.

"ARS NOVA!" Lloyd and Marta shouted as they smiled. "We did it! Guys, let's go!"

* * *

The minute the fight started on his side, Emil felt overwhelmed. Kratos was the only one able to truly stand up to Richter. The blonde felt like he was a burden.

_I wish I had the power to protect them!_

He blinked and everything froze.

"You must forge a pact."

Emil looked around. "Huh?"

A black panther-like creature appeared in the air in front of him. Unlike Aqua, this creature had an air of friendliness, and he had a warm and parental look in his eyes. It was comforting.

Emil was startled. "Another talking monster?"

The large mammal shook his head. "I am not a beast. I, too, am a Centurion. Centurion Tenebrae, at your service."

"Centurion… Tenebrae?"

Tenebrae nodded. "You could never defeat Richter as you are now. Forge a pact to become a Knight of Ratatosk. Then you will be able to accept Lord Ratatosk's power in battle.

Emil jumped back. "W-What do you mean?"

Tenebrae shook his head. "There is no time to explain. Lady Marta and your brother are in danger."

Emil started shaking. "But I mean, you're just a monster- a Centurion, I mean- and I... I don't know if…"

Emil clutched his head, shaking it back and forth. Tenebrae howled to get the boy's attention back.

Emil looked up. "That howl… Were you the one calling me in Iselia?"

"Yes, now forge the pact, or your brother WILL die!"

Emil nodded. "If that's the case… I'll make the pact."

Tenebrae smiled. "Understood."

As purple energy flowed from the Centurion to Emil, Tenebrae spoke.

"Emil, I command you. Unleash the power within yourself. Awaken, "Hunter of Evil!" Knight of Ratatosk, Emil Irving!"

Time for Emil started flowing again.

Aqua glared at her former ally. "Spiteful Tenebrae! What are you doing here?"

Tenebrae smiled. "Let's go."

Aqua sputtered. "What! You wanna fight? You're gonna regret this!"

"No."

Everyone stopped fighting and turned to Emil. Sure, they had heard his voice drop before, but never as deep as it was now.

"The only one who's gonna regret this is you."

Emil opened his eyes, which were now a deeper red than ever before.

He clenched his fist. "Now, come on!"

The Knight of Ratatosk had awakened.

* * *

Richter clutched at his wounds. "Ugh… I underestimated your abilities. Mark my words, I will be back!"

Aqua grabbed onto the man and teleported him out of the slightly ruined office.

"If that kid is the younger brother, then I'm out of here!" Botta dropped his destroyed weapon and left the scene. Raine walked over to the destroyed sword and examined it. She saw a familiar glowing stone in it.

"Isn't this a…"

"Emil!"

Raine turned around to see Lloyd hugging Emil, yet again. Seriously, how many times did these guys hug on a daily basis?

Emil's eyes were still red, but he hugged back. "I'm glad that you're safe… um…"

Lloyd held him at arm's length. "Emil, it's me, Lloyd, your big brother! How could you forget-oh."

Everyone noticed Emil's eyes. Genis frowned. "The 'Big Guy' got out again, but stronger huh?"

"There is no need to worry." Everyone turned to see Tenebrae. "Young Emil is borrowing my Lord's power, and seems to have become a 'host' for him, per say. Emil's memories will come back to him when he calms down, no worries."

Lloyd held Emil close again as the boy's eyes turned green again. "Listen kitty, if anything bad happens to my brother, you're becoming a new coat for my Dad!"

"Well, I never!" The Centurion huffed.

Marta huffed. "You need to let go of Emil, Lloyd. You're acting like a kid who's trying to convince his friends that there really is a boogeyman."

Lloyd paled at the last word, as did Emil. "Don't EVER bring that up again!"

* * *

Lloyd smiled at Emil and Genis, who were resting on Jord's back. It was good to have an Ice type monster in the group, especially in a desert.

The Chosen turned to his lifelong friend Noishe, who had come along to rescue him. The green and white canine served as a ride for Marta while she fully recuperated from the battle. "Noishe! Be careful with Marta okay?"

Noishe whined, but nodded his head. Lloyd smiled and rubbed his friend's neck.

After walking for a few hours, the reformed group finally reached Triet. It was sunset when they reached center of town.

Genis yawned. "I'm so beat from that fight. I want to rest."

Raine ruffled his hair. "Yeah. Let's head to the inn and then talk there."

* * *

Marta swung her legs as she sat on her bed. "So in other words, these Ex-spheres are amplifiers that awaken our dormant capabilities, right?"

Raine smiled. "I wonder if I could use one, too?"

Emil leaned over to Lloyd. "She seems excited."

"It's because it has to do with research." He whispered back.

"I heard that you two!"

"Eep!"

Kratos shook his head. "That would be difficult. Ex-spheres are harmful to the body without a Key Crest."

Colette raised her hand like she was still in the school house in Iselia. "Um…can't we make a Key Crest?"

Tenebrae floated over to her. "From what I have heard, a Key Crest is made by processing inhibitor ore, then engraving it with a crest to control the Ex-sphere attached to its surface. It is said to be a secret art known only to the dwarves."

Emil nodded. "Yeah. Bro and I can engrave that charm…er, crest, but only our dad can process the ore."

"Well, is there any inhibitor ore among these materials?"

The group was puzzled that Raine had taken out many artifacts.

Genis' eyes nearly popped out of his skull. "Raine! Did you bring these from our house?"

Raine nodded and went into lecture mode. "Of course. They're valuable research materials. This is a holy vase from the Balacruf Mausoleum. This is a jeweled sword from the Martel Temple. This is a priest's crown from the Asgard ruins. This is yellow ore from the Hima mines…"

Lloyd looked everything over. "What the… Professor, it's all junk!"

Raine got up and angrily marched towards Lloyd. "What did you just say?"

Lloyd waved his hands in front of him. "I mean 'junk' because I can't find the right ore, I'm sure that these are very important pieces of, uh, stuff!"

Raine calmed down. "Oh, I see…"

Emil breathed out a sigh of relief. _Thank Odin!_

Marta got a good look at Genis' Key Crest. "Hey, I know where we can get those!"

Raine turned to their newest companion. "Really?"

Marta nodded. "Yep!" The young teen brought out her travel bag, which looked no bigger than a lunch box. She dug through it and was able to take out a bright green box the size of a melon.

Marta smiled at the shocked reactions. "I've been traveling for a while! I got this magical bag from a Desian I beat in battle a couple of months ago."

Kratos took the box and opened it. "It's full of Key Crests. Where did you find this?"

Marta shrugged. "Lloyd and I had to hide from the Desians in the base, and we hid behind some boxes. I looked in one and saw these. The other boxes were full of them. I took one because I thought that it could be useful before we went to the room with this thing called a 'GameCube' in it!"

Emil looked troubled. "Wouldn't those guys at the base notice one of the boxes were gone?"

Kratos looked at the language that was written on the box. It was one he had not seen for over 4000 years. _Strange, only a few know about this language nowadays.  
_

* * *

Yuan, as the man was identified, looked at the large 'wall' made of multicolored boxes. Inside each box was enough Key Crests for an entire platoon. In the very middle, it was obvious that there was a box missing.

The green box was missing.

The ONLY green box in the entire wall was missing.

The ONLY green box with the new state-of-the-art Key Crests from Tethe'alla that were imbued with the smallest fragment of Martel's mana possible was missing.

Yuan saw red. "Out of all the boxes in this base, how is it that the only one that was stolen was supposed to be in my OFFICE WHERE I COULD GUARD IT PROPERLY?"

A stray guard sidled up to the angry half elf. "Um, sir, maybe you should calm down? Remember what Rea said about your blood pressure?"

Yuan rounded on the poor scout. "Blood pressure? Blood… PRESSURE? The box with the most efficient Key Crests ever made in history is gone and I should worry about my BLOOD PRESSURE? Right now, I DON'T GIVE A _**FLYING**_-"

* * *

Lloyd shook his head. "Nah, I don't think that fairy man noticed."

After shuffling the rooms around, Marta was staying with Colette, Raine remained with Genis, and the remaining three males stayed in the only room with three beds.

Emil was sound asleep with Tenebrae curled up at his feet while Lloyd was wide awake. He was situated with the bed closest to the wall that separated his room from the Sage's room. There was one sound that kept him awake; the sound of Raine's researching.

"Heheheheheh! So this is an Ex-sphere! MARVELOUS!"

Lloyd groaned and turned over to see Kratos leaving the room.

He sat up. "Where's he going at this hour? I'm gonna follow him."

* * *

Lloyd quietly left the inn. Once outside, he saw Kratos staring at Noishe's stable, the monsters having to sleep outside the town so they wouldn't send the citizens into a panic. As Lloyd walked towards Kratos, the mercenary drew his sword, the blade almost touching Lloyd's throat.

"Whoa!"

Kratos stopped himself from hurting his charge. "Chosen…" Kratos put his sword away. "I'm sorry to have startled you."

Lloyd tried to calm his heart down. "Startled doesn't begin to cover it!"

Kratos rolled his eyes. "You'd best not stand behind me then."

"I won't, trust me." Lloyd responded as he approached Noishe. An awkward silence filled the air. "Um, you know, for someplace that is really hot during the day, it's pretty cold out here."

Kratos shrugged. "I've been through worse."

"Oh… uh, say Kratos, do you like animals?"

Kratos blinked at the question. "No, not particularly…"

Lloyd cocked his head. "Really? Well, Noishe seems to be quite comfortable with you. He usually doesn't like strangers."

"I once had a pet, long ago."

Lloyd quickly turned to his protector. Finally, he was getting more information about this guy. "Really?"

Kratos nodded. "I wasn't always a mercenary you know."

Lloyd nodded. "Just like Dad. He used to be a Dwarven Warrior before he found me, but he was injured by some sort of demon, I think, when he went to the Ossa Trail for patrol. He then moved to Iselia and a week later, he found, well, me and Noishe." Lloyd punctuated this statement by nuzzling Noishe's head.

Kratos nodded. "Oh, Chosen, earlier when Marta mentioned the 'boogeyman' at the base, you and your brother looked very… scared. Do you still hold onto such childish tales?"

Lloyd shook his head. "It's not that. When I was a kid, there was this man who haunted my dreams. Still does once in a while…" Lloyd shook his head again. "Anyway, he had white hair with black and red eyes. Every nightmare he was in, he would hurt this woman, I think she was my mom. Dad told me that he was the boogeyman and that if I didn't stay inside at night, that he would get me too and that Dad wouldn't be able to protect me because he was a monster. I told the story to Emil when we brought him home, and he believed it too. We believed him at the time, but not anymore as much. That mystery man just remained 'the boogeyman' to me…"

Kratos clenched his fist. _Kvar…_

Then something hit Lloyd. "Wait, why am I telling you all this?"

Kratos crossed his arms. "Sometimes telling things to strangers is a good way to get rid of pent up emotions or get secrets out in the open."

Lloyd sighed. "I guess."

"Lloyd." From the way Kratos said his name and the look he had in his eye, the Chosen somehow KNEW that Kratos was being serious with him. It was like when Dirk would threaten to withhold dinner unless he could recite a selection of the Dwarven Vows. "If this 'boogeyman' of yours is real, he is most likely a Desian. When the day comes, I will help you avenge your mother."

Lloyd was shocked. Nobody outside his family had ever promised him something so serious. "You promise?"

"I swear on my sword that I will help you Lloyd." Kratos then turned to return to the inn.

Lloyd was frozen for a few minutes before he followed the mercenary back into the inn. It was nice to talk to others about personal things, but right now, it was cold outside and he wanted to get some sleep!

* * *

AI: This is the longest Chapter I have ever written. I am serious. I am going to be out of town again next week, so I hope this holds all of you until then. I had a LOT of fun writing this chapter, I truly did, especially the Yuan parts. We get some more background for Lloyd and Marta has appeared. I hope a certain SOMEONE is happy now. Yeah, I haven't given Colette an Ex-sphere because she is just going to be a badass normal for a while. Heck, Emil doesn't have one and neither does Marta. Do not worry, I have a plan.

Update: An anonymous reviewer pointed out a flaw so I fixed it. I thank you.


	6. Chapter 6

AI: Guess who is back? Yep, me! I was on vacation, again. I swear I am going to get tired of the beach! Anyways, I'm back! Oh, and I have a poll up on my profile about this very story, so I ask that you vote! It WILL have an effect on the story!

Disclaimer: I do not own Tales of Symphonia nor its sequel Dawn of the New World aka Knight of Ratatosk.

The next morning, everyone filed out of the inn after breakfast, giving thanks to the innkeeper and promising to come back at a later time. For some reason, the tense air that had seemed to circulate around both Lloyd and Kratos upon their meeting appeared to have thinned since the previous day.

Emil stretched his arms over his head, producing a long yawn. "We can finally head out to release the seal!"

Lloyd nodded as he retrieved Noishe from the pen. "Yes. I'll do my best!"

Raine retrieved the Map of Sylvarant from the Irving's bag. "The seal Remiel spoke of is in the Triet Ruins southwest of here."

Marta pumped a fist in the air. "Cool! Let's go check out that seal!"

Genis rolled his eyes. "We'll see if that enthusiasm lasts…"

Lloyd stuck his tongue out at the shorter boy. "I'll be fine! Just you watch!"

Raine dug through her own bag and gave Emil yet another book. "Oh, I just remembered. Let me give you this."

Emil read the book titles out loud. "The Monster List."

Raine nodded. "Gathering data on your enemies is useful for protecting the Chosen. With your record of monster care, this should be easier than homework."

Marta made a face as Emil put away the book. "Homework? Ewww…"

Kratos looked impatient. "We should get going."

* * *

Lloyd whined as they trekked across the sandy wasteland. "Ah, so hot…man, I'm beat."

Genis looked equally tired. "See? You're already worn out."

Lloyd lolled his head to look at Genis. "I'm sick of this desert. I wish it had two 's' instead of just one."

"Here here, Sir Lloyd. I too could use a large slice of chocolate cake right about now." Tenebrae nodded.

"Stop making us hungry!"

Noishe whined, catching everyone's attention. He then motioned to Marta, who was looking down at the ground, leaning on him for support.

Emil ran over to the duo. "What's wrong, Marta?"

Marta lifted her head, face turning a blotchy red. "I-I'm sorry. I usually travel during the night and I'm not used to this heat."

Emil motioned for Jord to come over. "You should ride on our friend for the time being. He's an Ice type monster."

Raine looked curious. "Wouldn't he be in just as much trouble?"

Tenebrae shook his head. "Actually, Lord Emil is being smart. Ice monsters keep warm by absorbing the cold, converting it to heat, and expelling it from their bodies. They can also reverse this during the summer months by reversing the process and absorbing heat, which they store for the harsher winter colds."

Colette frowned. "That sounds nice and all, but what about Marta's skin? She's really pale, and it hurts to get sunburn…"

Lloyd had taken off his coat by then and was helping Marta put it on, his Cruxis Crystal glittering in the sun. "This will help!"

Marta looked smaller with the fairly large jacket. "But Lloyd-"

The brunette Chosen smiled. "I'm used to doing work in the sun, same with Emil. I'll be fine."

Kratos raised an eyebrow. "Don't you think that will make you more of a target? Be on your guard, there are enemies about! Anyone can see your Crystal now. What are you going to do if we are outnumbered?"

A very large shadow covered the mercenary. "The dragon is behind me, isn't he?"

Everyone nodded.

Kratos kept his composure, but on the inside he was banging his head on a wall and muttering multiple swears in languages forgotten to all but time. Ever since an incident involving dragons with Mithos, he had a very large aversion to them. "This is going to be a nuisance."

Lloyd tilted his head. "What is?"

The other swordsman shook his head. "Ah, nothing. Anyway, it would be a good idea for you to learn techniques to protect yourself."

Colette smiled. "Are you talking about self-defense training?"

The red head gave a half nod. "Something along the lines of that. Techniques to raise your defense during battles. I'll show you how it's done. Once you grasp the theory, the rest should be easy. It will also keep you occupied until we get to the seal."

Emil began to write down the instructions that Kratos was giving everyone as they continued their walk through the earthly inferno.

* * *

After an agonizing two additional hours, the group finally arrived at the Triet Ruins.

"Why couldn't we ride the monsters here?" Genis whined.

Tenebrae sighed. "While it would seem convenient, if you depend on them for everything, you could lose out on some much needed experience when it comes to fighting."

Raine nodded before she noticed the absence of a certain pooch. "Hmm, what happened to Noishe?"

Lloyd didn't look that surprised. "You're right. He's gone. Ah, man, he's run off again."

"He's probably nervous about the monsters. I think it would be best not to count on Noishe in places with monsters around." Emil added.

"Fantastic!"

The merry band turned to Raine, who was looking at a slab of rock with a loving, almost romantic, look in her eyes.

"Look at this slab covering the entrance! It's clearly of a different composition than the surrounding stone!" Raine started to gently stroke the stone. "Hahahaha! It's just as I thought! This is polycarbonate, developed during the Ancient War to defend against magic! Oh, feel the smooth surface! It's wondrous!"

Kratos looked slightly disturbed when the silver haired teacher started to rub her face on the stone. "…Is she always like this?"

Colette turned to Genis. "…Is she?"

Genis face palmed "…I've been trying so hard to hide it, too."

Marta climbed off of Jord and walked up to the rest of the group when a pedestal caught her eye. "Hmm? This depression…it reads, "Oracle Stone" here." Marta turned to Lloyd. "Hey Lloyd, can you put your hand here? That should reveal the entrance."

"Really?"

Kratos raised an eyebrow. "You are quite knowledgeable about an ancient language."

The youngest of the girls looked flustered. "W-well my Dad had me learn it before I started traveling because he said it would be useful."

"Your father let you travel without any type of companion or guard for your age?"

Lloyd ignored the talk between Kratos and Marta as he put his hand on the pedestal, causing two doors to open. Raine looked heartbroken when the slab of polycarbonate slid away, but did exhibit interest in the second door that opened.

Lloyd looked eager to get this over with. "Okay! Now it's getting exciting! Let's hurry up and go inside and do this seal thing!"

"…I hope you'll be able to maintain that enthusiasm." Kratos echoed Genis' statement from earlier.

"Whoa, déjà vu much?"

"Wait!" Everyone turned to Raine. "There are two areas to explore! Who is going to go in which direction?"

Tenebrae floated next to the teacher. "Emil, Marta, and I have to explore the upper temple; you need to explore the lower one to get to the seal."

Colette tilted her head. "How do you know so much, Doggy?"

Tenebrae was taken aback. "Doggy? My name is, never mind. I am a couple of thousand years old; I have seen a couple of Regenerations from my home. This is the Seal of Fire, watched over by Efreet, and so it would be underground and close to the fiery depths of the Underworld… especially given his appearance." Tenebrae then caught Raine's eyes gleaming. "Um, good luck with the puzzles everyone! Marta, Emil, let's go!"

Tenebrae then ran off to the higher of the doors, Emil and Marta following him, the door closing behind them.

"W-wait! Lloyd, put your hand on the stone again! Lloyd!"

Kratos heaved Raine over his shoulder as if she was a sack of flour. "Let's go. Lloyd, you _DO_ have the monster ring, right?"

Lloyd nodded. "Yeah, Colette was able to get a second one for me from the Katz. We'll have to summon the monsters when we get inside, so I guess that Noishe has to stay out here…"

Colette pointed to the closed door, which was now being guarded by Noishe. "I don't think that he minds."

* * *

When they walked inside, Raine's depression over not being able to follow Emil and Marta disappeared.

"Hahahaha! Amazing! Isn't it amazing guys?" The professor turned around to the group and started to point out different things. "The wall's material, the moldy scent in the air… we are in the middle of an ancient ruin!" She then gave a sigh of content. "I wonder how much it's discover is worth?"

While Raine resumed her 'Ruin Mode', Kratos led the rest of the group to a large room with multiple floors, surrounded by lava and monsters.

"Not another puzzle!" Lloyd whined.

"This place is also built with magitechnology! Absolutely fantastic!" Raine gushed.

* * *

Lloyd steadily walked up to the altar, but something felt off. He could feel mana rolling off in waves from the altar when a bright light filled the room. When it faded, a large lioness that was covered in flames, spikes, and had nasty, big, pointy teeth appeared. Flanking her were two smaller versions of herself, but they lacked the fiery cover.

"Ahh! What the heck?" Genis took out his kendama.

"It's a Ktugach with two Ktugachlings! Emil would be bending over backwards to see this! These are RARE creatures guys! They supposedly died out during the Great Kharlan War, and now they're right in front of us!" Lloyd looked absolutely giddy to see the giant beast.

Kratos grabbed the boy and pulled him away from being attacked. "Lloyd, get your head out of the clouds and fight! Summon those monsters you are so proud of, now!"

Lloyd rolled his eyes. "Fine. I summon thee, Jord the Fenrir, Onyx the Tiamat, Gale the Fenia, and Doris the Orca!"

* * *

Meanwhile, with Emil and crew, they too had arrived at an altar. However, the symbol that was predominately featured in this section of the ruin was not that of Cruxis. Instead, the emblem displayed looked very akin to the mark that resided on Marta's forehead.

"This is it." Marta breathed. "We found the first core here in Sylvarant! We found the fire core!"

Tenebrae nodded sagely. "Yes, this is the domain of Ignis. Lady Marta, please awaken the core."

"Okay!" Marta walked up to the tear-shaped core. It was yellow with hues of red and orange on the bottom of it, giving the look of roaring flames. Marta took the core with both hands and raised it.

"I call upon he who commands the fire in the name of his master. I beg of thee, he who controls the flames of the hearth of life, grant me thy strength to bring peace to the world. Awaken Ignis, Centurion of Fire!"

A rush of mana came from the gem, thick, powerful, and scorching. The form of a lizard, a salamander, jumped to the forefront of the minds of the group. The mana then died down, the newly hatched core floating down to rest in Marta's hands.

Emil smiled. "We did it! Now we just have to find Bro and the others!"

As if to answer him, a new door revealed itself, complete with stairs leading down to the main foyer of the temple.

Tenebrae laughed. "Speak of the devil and he shall surely appear."

* * *

Lloyd whined when the Ktugach and her Ktugachlings faded, now that Cruxis had deemed them worthy. "I wanted to try and make a pact with them! They seemed like such powerful allies to have!"

"Lloyd!" The Chosen turned to see his brother and their friends running towards him. "We got one of Tenebrae's friends!"

Before Lloyd could answer, the voice of Remiel resounded in the room. "You, the Chosen of Regeneration. Offer your prayers at the altar."

"…Yes, sir."

Lloyd approached the seal and began to pray. "Goddess Martel, great protector and nurturer of the earth, grant me your strength!"

There was a rush of mana and colors, signifying that the seal had broken. A light from above appeared and revealed a certain angel, Remiel.

Remiel smiled, but it was still cold and very nerve wrecking. "Lloyd, my dear son, you have done well."

Lloyd nodded. "Thank you…sir."

"The guardian of the seal has fallen, and the first seal has been released. Efreet will surely awaken soon. In the name of Cruxis, I shall grant you the power of the angels."

"Thank you, my lord."

The oracle angel raised his hand. As he did, four balls of multi-colored energy came down from above Lloyd and entered his back, causing a pair of wings to appear. The wings were resembled traditional birds wings instead of the angel wings that looked like abstract art, as seen in their textbooks. Instead of pure white like Remiel's, Lloyd's were blue with highlights of gold near the tips. Lloyd fretted a bit when he started to rise so that he was floating a little under the angel who claimed to be his father.

Remiel nodded, as if pleased with how things turned out. "The angel transformation will not be without pain. Yet, it is but for one night. Be strong and endure it."

Lloyd nodded. "I accept this trial."

The angel smirked. "The next seal lies far to the east, across the sea. Offer your prayers at that altar."

Lloyd stiffly nodded, as if something was bothering him. "Yes, Lord Remiel."

Remiel vanished from the area, just like in Iselia. "I shall await you at the next seal, the Chosen of Regeneration, my beloved son, Lloyd."

Lloyd had a bit of trouble descending with his new wings, but was able to get the hang of them thanks to Gale. With help from the Fenia, Lloyd was able to make it back to the floor and back to his friends.

Marta gasped. "Lloyd… you have wings!"

Lloyd smiled. "Uh-huh. I can put them away, too!"

Everyone younger than eighteen crowded around Lloyd as he pulled his wings in and out, flapping them for good measure. Everyone laughed as the sparkles from the wings got on their clothes.

Tenebrae turned to the only two adults in the room. "That angel, he said the next place is across the sea. That means we need to acquire a ship of some sort. Do you have any ideas?"

Raine blanched slightly. "A ship… hmm. I wonder if there are any ships sailing with the way things are right now…"

"We should head to the coast to see what we can find." Kratos responded.

Tenebrae briefly glared at Kratos before turning to the kids, who were now joined by the monsters in playing with Lloyd's wings. "Alright everyone, we get it already. That's enough."

"Okay." They all whined.

Lloyd pulled his wings back and stumbled as he walked. "I'm okay, just getting my land legs back!"

"Is that even a term?"

"It is now Genis."

* * *

The band of Regeneration stepped out of the Ruin and back in to the desert. Lloyd groaned and fell to his knees.

"Lloyd! Are you okay?" The teen winced at how loud Colette's voice was now.

"I'm…fine…" Lloyd wheezed.

Genis shook his head. "You don't look fine at all! Your face is completely white! It's our entire fault. We got carried away and kept making you pull your wings in and out!"

Lloyd shook his head. "I don't think that... has anything to... do with it…"

Raine parted the crowd, trying to get air to circulate so Lloyd could breath better. "Now's not the time for that! His lips are turning purple. We must get him to a doctor in Triet immediately!"

Kratos stopped Raine from getting closer to Lloyd. "Wait. It's best not to move him. Remember the angel's words. The angel transformation process requires him to overcome a trial. Rather than taking her to a doctor, it would be best to let him rest here.

"I'm…okay." Lloyd tried to stand up, but fell down again. This time, Emil was there to hold him up. "I'll be fine after... a little rest."

Tenebrae nodded. "That sounds like a good idea actually. Let's set up camp before it gets dark."

Everyone nodded as they began to set up for the night. By now, Noishe was curled around Lloyd, trying to get the cold flashes to stop. Even the thick blanket coupled with Noishe's warm fur wasn't enough.

Everything was a blur for Lloyd. All the sounds and colors around him seemed to swirl into one big blob of mush. With every breath came a shock of pain. Lloyd shifted closer to Noishe, trying to escape the cold that was running through his body. Soon, everything started to shift into focus again, but the pain remained, though it was not as bad as before. For some reason, his eyesight improved, as did his hearing. Even from the distance Noishe was laying down from the fire, Lloyd could hear things, such as his brother and best friend talking next to the crackling fire.

"Hey, how was the tofu curry?"

He heard Emil shrug. "It was missing something. It would have been perfect if I had some Kirima fruit."

"Of course!"

He heard someone, most likely a man from the sound of the footsteps, walking towards him. He then knelt down by the weary fighter. "Lloyd, are you okay?"

Lloyd nodded. "I'm better than before Kratos, but I'm not at one hundred percent yet."

"I see. Perhaps I should leave?" The elder swordsman rose to leave, but was stopped by Lloyd feebly grabbing his cape. "Wait! Um... talking to someone helps me focus on something other than pain..."

Kratos covered the brunette's body with his cape. "Lloyd, is it all right if I ask you something?"

This surprised the boy. "Oh…okay. Sure."

"Why were you raised by a dwarf?"

Lloyd blinked. People had asked this question before, but it was weird to hear it from a man who was supposedly 'well-travelled' mercenary such as the man before him. "Dad found me collapsed in the forest along with Mom and Noishe. Although, what really happened was that we were attacked by Desians." Lloyd curled in on himself. "When Iselia was attacked by the Desians and Marble… I got flashbacks to that day. My mom… became one of those monsters, like Marble."

A flash of pain crossed Kratos' eyes. "…I see. From the sound of that, your father is probably not alive either."

Lloyd frowned. "…Probably not, but I still have a small hope that he is still out there, somewhere. Pretty childish to think that huh?"

Kratos shook his head. "No, I do not think that. Everyone needs something to believe in. I suppose that is why the Church of Martel has existed for so long."

Lloyd shrugged. "Maybe… but to tell you the truth… despite being the Chosen, I follow the teachings and religion of the Dwarves more than the Church of Martel. In fact, I have a feeling that Martel doesn't exist in the way people think."

Kratos looked slightly shocked. "You don't believe in Martel?"

Lloyd shook his head, uncurling somewhat. "I believe more in the myths of Odin, Thor, and Loki than the teachings of Martel. If there truly was a goddess, then why did she create the Desians? Why don't her teachings tell us that half-elves are not an entirely evil race? Why do they support that humans are the superior race on Midgard…uh, Aselia when the teachings say that all races are equal in her eyes? Her teachings say that people who gamble and drink, even during a casual event like Dad, say that people like him and any children raised by him are destined to dwell in some of the deepest levels of Hel… uh, Nifelheim to you, yet she wants us not to judge each other. It's nothing but hypocrisy and tripe to me really."

Kratos was sitting next to Lloyd by now, listening to the downed swordsman as he ranted. "I see… the dwarves have their own way of doing things, just as everyone else does. Though tell me this, what of the Summon Spirits?"

Lloyd smiled and sat up. "I remember this story. Dad used to tell it to me all the time as a kid. You see, there are nine realms," Lloyd pulled one of his old wooden swords from a pack on Noishe's back and dumped some water on the sand form a canteen. Before Kratos could protest, Lloyd began drawing, "Asgard: Land of the Aesir Gods, Alvheim: Land of the Elves, Vanaheim: Land of the Vanir Gods, Svartalvheim: Land of the Dwarves and Dark Elves, Midgard: Land of the Humans, Muspelheim: Land of Fire , Niflheim:Land of Ice and Mist, Jotunheim: Land of the Giants, and then Helheim: Land of the Dead." The teen pointed to the middle circle. "Our realm, Midgard, is dead set in the middle of it all and is supported by the tree itself. As you can tell by now, the realms are arranged like a tree, called Yggdrasill, with Asgard at the top of it. Each realm has its own places, like Asgard has Valhalla, but that's a different story altogether. The upper realms and Midgard are connected by a rainbow bridge called the Bifrost.

"Anyways, there is a squirrel that runs up and down the tree, delivering messages and gossip between the dragon of Hel, Nidhogg, and this sacred bird of the upper realms, Vidofnir the golden eagle, since they can't meet with one another. His name was Ratatosk. During his travels and guarding of Midgard, he created the Summon Spirits to watch over and govern the elements of the realm in his absence so he could carry out his job of keeping Hel, the goddess of death and ruler of the realm that was named after her, from releasing Nidhogg, and the only way to get him back would be to release her brother, the monster wolf Fenrir. If he was released, he would kill Odin, consume the moon, and wreck the natural order of Midgard, destroying the foundations of the Nine Realms, and bringing about Ragnarok aka the End of Earth."

When Lloyd looked up from his tale, he saw that everyone was crowding around him now, listening to his lecture. He truly felt uncomfortable at that moment. "… That's all I have to say about that for now."

Raine narrowed her eyes. "Lloyd Irving, can you explain to me why you aren't like this in CLASS?"

Lloyd shrank. "Well, you see…"

Emil smiled. "We learned about this from Dad. He would tell us a story every night about the Gods, as it tied in the Dwarven Vows. I even brought a copy of his big book with all the tales in it!"

Colette, Marta, Genis, and Raine, especially Raine, looked excited. "Really? Can we see it?"

"Of course you can! Just be really super careful with it."

Lloyd smiled as the group, minus Kratos, scurried after Emil to read the book. Lloyd then looked to see that he still had Kratos' cape draped over him. "Um, Kratos… you might need this tonight."

Kratos shook his head. "I'll be near the fire. Besides, the Chosen needs this more right now then a lowly mercenary."

Lloyd gave the auburn haired man a half-lidded look. "Please never say that. You've done a LOT more for me than the Priests did, may they rest in peace wherever they ended up."

Kratos sighed. "It doesn't sound like you hold them in high regard."

Lloyd was silent for some time. "… My religion has a story of the God of Thunder Thor along with the God of Trickery and Mischief Loki dressing in drag to retrieve Thor's beloved hammer from a jotun because Freya, Goddess of Love, threw a tantrum and refused to marry the jotun so Thor could have his weapon back. Your argument is invalid."

Kratos gave Lloyd a disturbed look. _What kind of stories was that dwarf telling him all those years?_

* * *

During the journey, a certain man was watching at the group with a bored look on his face. He had long blonde hair and blue eyes, a white bodysuit serving as his clothing. If her were to stand, one could see that his wings sparkled with every color of the rainbow. He summoned a rather large screen in his throne room, replaying the days events.

He watched with mild annoyance as his Chosen's brat brother and friend came out with a Centurion Core, having discovered the resting place of his old ally Ignis, but it was no skin off his nose. Ratatosk no longer had control over the mana flow the world. It was all under the control of Cruxis now. He watched at his Chosen delivered the final blow to the guardian beast with the help of monsters, and even mourned that he could not befriend what had tried to kill him. The man smiled cruelly. He enjoyed putting the larger of the beasts out of her misery after her failure of a fight.

With a wave of his hand, the man summoned multiple, but smaller screens that assembled around the larger one. They each held some moment of Lloyd's life in it. Unfortunately, the all-seeing spy eye of Cruxis could only see events that happened outside of a building. Befriending the Sages, learning to fight to defend those whom he cared about, finding and caring for Emil, and even tending to the monsters despite them being enemies at one point in history; these moments and many more all played on the screens.

A pair doors opened to reveal a familiar blue haired half-elf. "Am I interrupting something, Lord Yggdrasill?"

The man, now identified as Yggdrasill, shook his head and stood up, his aurora hued wings unfurling themselves. "Don't worry Yuan, I'm just seeing how our current Sylvaranti Chosen is doing."

Yuan, as the half elf was known as, twitched. His memories of the base were still fresh. "I see… so how does he fare? Is he truly 'Chosen' by Cruxis?"

Yggdrasill approached the screens. "This boy cares for other, even if they are not of his own kind. He can soothe even the most savage MONSTER into nothing but a lapdog! He fights to protect, not to destroy. His wings are unlike those of the Seraphim or the previous 'Chosens' of years past. His mana..." The grin turned crazed. "His mana is an exact match according to the calculations, no outliers! Every scenario run says that he is a perfect match for Martel! Every scenario from every past Chosen!" Yggdrasill calmed down a bit. "I would have preferred him to be a girl, but then again we do have that idiot Zelos, but I'm sure we can change that."

Yuan discreetly rolled his eyes at the mention of the Chosen of the alternate plain and internally gagged at his leader's last statement. "I will be taking my leave now. I wish to speak to Martel once before starting my new mission, with your permission. I do not know when I will be back after all."

Yggdrasill nodded. "Visit her as often as you wish, it will help her recognize your voice more when she is revived."

The thought of his former lover greeting him the way she used to while using the body of the Sylvaranti Chosen caused an unwanted image to tap dance its way into his head. If his assumption about the boy and Kratos was correct...

Yuan's face turned the same shade of green that tinted the walls as he walked to the chamber where the true Martel slept, shivering all the way.

Yggdrasill tapped the image of the Triet campsite, zooming in on Lloyd, who was sleeping against Noishe, and Kratos, who was keeping a watch out for everyone, yet he seemed to be keeping a closer eye on the Chosen than ordered.

Yggdrasill chuckled. "I promised you that the worlds would be reunited when I got Martel back and that I would give you back your son Kratos, I just never said how it would come into fruition. 'Kill two birds with one stone' like you taught me all those years ago, right teacher?"

Loud, dark, and slightly broken laughter rang through the throne room and echoed into the halls of Derris Kharlan.

* * *

AI: So what do you guys think of Yggdrasill's interlude? Think I captured his character enough? I hope that I did! This was a freaking long chapter! Yeah, as to why I didn't give a fight scene… as you can see from Chapter 5, I kinda SUCK at writing fight scenes. So a question to you all… who wants to help write the fight scenes for the main 'boss battles' in this fic?

We also got a lesson in some Norse mythology in this chapter. I like to think that Lloyd isn't a complete idiot. While he can't memorize times tables at the age of 17, he knows how to engrave life-saving key crests and can give lectures on mythology. I added some things here and there to make things flow along with the Symphonia universe, so I don't want people nitpicking about 'that's not how Ragnarok happens' and stuff like that.

Well, read, review, enjoy, and hope to see you all next chapter! Thank you all for sticking with me this long!


	7. Chapter 7

AI: Wow, this was a fast update in my opinion! I hope you all enjoyed Yggy in the last chapter, and I hope that you voted in the poll too! It will be up until the Tethe'alla Saga starts.

Disclaimer: I do not own Tales of Symphonia nor its sequel Dawn of the New World aka Knight of Ratatosk.

Lloyd looked ready to cry when he saw the desert ending and the brilliant green of grass leading to the Ossa Trail.

The Chosen and his brother fell to their knees, arms stretched to the sky. "THANK THE ALL FATHER! WE HAVE ESCAPED THE DEATHLY JAWS OF NIDHOGG!"

Emil took over their embarrassing display of worship. "WE SHALL GIVE THANKS TO THY CONSORT JORD, GODDESS OF THE EARTH, whom we named our Fenrir in honor of, FOR BRINGING US TO THIS HEALTHY AND LIFE FILLED PEAK!"

Raine came up behind the two and hit them over the head with her staff. "That's enough, both of you."

Both of them whined, standing up and rubbing their heads in pain. "Here we thought you liked studying that kind of study Professor!"

Colette laughed while Genis tried to look like he did not know the Irving foundlings. Kratos' face held the same stoic expression, but is eyes danced with mirth at Raine punishing her students.

* * *

Emil, or rather the red eyed one, grumbled as he clean and sheathed his blade from his latest kill. He was bored. He was oh so very bored. The monsters had to be dismissed because they drew too much attention on the trail, there were no variety of actual 'strong' monsters on the trail, and each time they tried to talk, Kratos would ask them to be quiet so they wouldn't be ambushed or something like that.

Lloyd looked over at his brother a bit fearfully. He knew what the 'Big Guy' could do when bored to a certain extreme.

He would _whine_.

Yes, the all angry, over powered, axe crazy, evil laughter bearing split personality would whine like a toddler who had been denied a new toy or candy.

"I'm bored!" Emil whined, stretching out the 'o' for a few seconds. "It's too quiet! When are we going to get there? I'm hungry!"

Lloyd bit his hand when he saw a certain mercenary's face develop a faint twitch in the left eye.

"It's cold up here! The air is too thin, I'm getting dizzy! Are we there yet? I'm still really bored! I'm tired, who was the genius who woke us up at six this morning? Is it lunch time yet? I'm really hungry…"

The residents of Iselia were already used to this type of behavior so they said nothing. Tenebrae and Marta looked very amused. Kratos looked like he was going to shut the blonde up by any means necessary.

"Emil, you already said that you're hungry." Marta giggled.

Emil pouted. The 'Big Guy' actually pouted. "Then you should have appeased my hunger earlier. Why do we have to follow the stiff? Dad took us to Izoold a couple times! Hard to miss the fishy smell. Man, I miss him. Can we send him a letter, or better yet a package? Are we there yet?"

Kratos rounded on the boy. "If you do not cease that obnoxious screeching, every bandit or, Martel forbid it, Desian are going to hear you. If this continues and the do come, I will allow them to take you away and I will never attempt to retrieve you no matter how much your brother whines, cries, or begs me. Is that understood?"

Emil's eyes were green now, and he was cowering under the redheads gaze. "W-what did I do?"

Colette perked up. "Regular Emil is back!"

Raine nodded. "Ever since Emil made that deal with Tenebrae, these episodes have become more frequent instead of just rage episodes."

Emil looked confused.

"You went overboard when we rescued the Chosen, Emil." Kratos elaborated.

"Huh?" The poor kid was even more confused.

"I will admit it though, it was cool." Genis smiled.

Emil started to panic. "What? What did I do?"

Lloyd sighed. "You let the 'Big Guy' out again and he used one of the guys who kidnapped me as a battering ram to get into the office Marta and I about to be killed in."

"... HE DID WHAT?"

Colette jogged up next to the younger blonde, much to Marta's chagrin. "Emil, are you possessed or something? Oh! Maybe I can help!"

Emil hung his head. "I just want to go to sleep and forget this day ever happened."

"Stop!"

Everyone looked up to see a woman with black hair and rather revealing clothing.

"What?"

Colette turned to her childhood friend. "Is she a friend of yours, Lloyd?"

Lloyd shook his head. "Not that I'm aware of."

The woman jumped down from her place on the cliff. She pointed to the group. "…Is the Chosen of Mana among you?"

Before Colette could open her mouth, Marta covered it. Emil smiled. "Last I heard, the Chosen was resting in Triet after releasing the first seal. You might want to try there."

The woman faltered. "Oh, really? Sorry to bother you, but thanks for the information!"

She then sped off, a small animal following her.

Kratos waited until the woman was out of sight before speaking. "That was quite a smart move. I must admit, I am impressed."

Colette gently removed Marta's hand. "That was so cool Emil!"

As the elder blonde went to hug the younger, she tripped over what appeared to be a lever. The ground under Emil vanished, causing him to fall with a yelp.

Lloyd looked ready to have a heart attack on spot. "Emil!"

Marta covered her mouth. "Uh-oh."

Tenebrae cover his ears with his paws. "Uh-oh"

Genis covered his eyes. "Uh-oh."

Raine looked shocked. "Uh-oh."

Colette looked guilty. "Uh-oh."

"…" Kratos massaged his forehead.

A crash was heard from the hole, a groan following it.

Colette stood up. "Oh, no! What should we do? I did it again…"

Raine snapped out of her shock. "You don't need to worry about it. Emil is a strong kid. He'll be fine!" Raine looked down the hole. "I hope…"

Before Lloyd could go into shock himself and proceed to have a seizure, Genis ran up to the hole.

"Since his weight is 45kg, and this hole to be 10m deep, and calculating the gravity constant at 9.8, the impact shouldn't have been fatal."

Lloyd recovered to hear about his brother. "Gravity… constant? I don't understand what you just said, but he's alive, right?"

"Most likely."

Lloyd examined the hole, worry clear across his face. "Still, man, he's got some bad luck. Standing right on top of a trapdoor and all…"

Raine approached the hole, then smiled. "It's not a trap. It's a hidden maintenance passage for the mountain path."

"…We should get moving if we want to find him." Kratos sighed. This boy was causing more trouble than they needed.

* * *

Lloyd looked at the nut that was given to him by the caravan. Along their journey up the mountain, the party had come across a traveling zoologist and his family. I might have been rude of him, but he urged Raine to hurry up so they could find Emil.

Now, they had found the entrance to the old mines. Colette and Raine walked to one of the walls.

"It looks like the tunnel is still usable."

Colette nodded. "I wonder if it was abandoned recently."

Raine looked the wall over. "It doesn't look like they exhausted the ore. There must have been some reason why they had to cease mining operations."

"The Desians..." Colette whispered.

Raine nodded. "Most likely, yes."

Lloyd looked nervous as they walked on. Kratos noticed this and fell back a bit. "I am sure we will find your brother soon, Chosen."

Lloyd squirmed. "It's not just that! I remember Dad telling us stories of a skeleton monster that lives here. Remember what I said in Triet? He was attacked by a demon when he was patrolling in these mines!"

A scream of terror tore through the silence of the cave, but due to the distance, only Lloyd was able to hear it.

"EMIL!"

Lloyd ran down one to the corridors before Kratos could hold him back.

"Lloyd get back here!"

Upon hearing Kratos' shout, everyone turned around to see Lloyd disappear down another walk way.

* * *

Once arriving at the end of the hall, Lloyd saw it, the demon known as the Sword Dancer. Sure, he and Emil had one back home, but this one, its aura was of pure evil. He looked a bit higher to see his brother in all ways but blood hanging onto one of the jutting neck bones of the monster, eyes blazing red.

"Emil, get down from there!"

Emil grunted as he almost lost his grip. "I can't! As a Knight of Ratatosk, I have to send this thing back to Niflheim- got it!"

Emil held up the neck bone he was hanging onto triumphantly. His grin grew larger as the demon's head slid off and was reduced to ash upon impacting with the ground. His face turned to one of 'oh crap' when the rest of the body followed example.

Lloyd summoned his wings and caught Emil before he could hit the ground.

"Just… stay close to me from now on, okay bro?"

* * *

The group looked relieved to see sunlight after traveling under the compacted rocks of the tunnels.

"Now we know why they were abandoned." Lloyd breathed, still shaken at how he almost lost his brother.

Emil held up a shaky fist. "Here… here."

"…W…wait! You guys tricked me!"

Lloyd turned around. "…Wow, she caught up with us."

The assassin growled as she took out a piece of paper. "D…don't move!"

Raine nodded. "A wise decision. We don't want a repeat of what happened with Emil."

The woman faltered for a second. "What are you… never mind, I won't be caught off guard this time!"

"Just who are you?" Marta took up a defensive position.

The woman shook her head. "It doesn't matter! All that matters is the name Lloyd Irving!"

The little animal next to her bristled. "That's the name of Sheena's target."

Lloyd took a couple of steps forward. "I'm just trying to help people! What is your childhood trauma?"

Sheena's look turned murderous as she placed a paper tag on Lloyds chest. It exploded in a cloud of smoke, the force sending Lloyd flying back into the surrounding rocks.

"Lloyd!" Genis and Colette ran over to their friend to check on him while Emil and Marta stood in the front, weapons out.

Colette gave Sheena a sad look. "Why? Why are you doing this? Lloyd is just trying to save the world!"

Sheena's eyes narrowed. "There is no need for talk!"

Colette shut her mouth with an audible click.

Sheena took out another paper tag. "If you try to distract me, then I will take your life as well, but the Chosen is first!"

Sheena barely blinked, and found herself face to face with a charging Kratos. She gasped. How could anyone be so fast?

Kratos closed the distance between the two, drawing his sword with enough force that when the jewel atop the pommel hit her stomach, Sheena felt like she had been hit by a bucking horse. Kratos then sheathed his sword once more and delivered a firm kick to the area his weapon had hit.

Sheena was sent flying, but she recovered and flipped back a couple of times to gain some distance. She then brought out another tag and held it in front of her, causing a ring of them to appear around her. As she began to make hand signs, Kratos brought up his right hand, which was crackling with mana.

"Lighting!" The tags were destroyed. Sheena winced from the glare the electricity gave off, but gasped when she saw Kratos flip in the air. She attempted to jump back, but the swordsman delivered a firm kick to her jaw.

"Sheena!" The small animal cried, his friend at the mercy of a sword.

Sheena swallowed at the sight of Kratos' glare. It promised only one thing; pain beyond all comprehension.

"Wait!" Kratos turned to Lloyd, who was leaning against Raine. "Please don't kill her! She has to have a reason for this!"

Kratos narrowed his eyes. "She tried to take your life. She will absolutely try again."

Lloyd copied the glare. "Next time she will be indebted to us for sparing her. Just let her go."

The two had a glare off for what seemed like forever before Kratos sheathed his blade.

Sheena glared at them. "Ugh…Just you wait! I swear I will kill you all next time!" The woman and her animal friend then vanished from the area. She didn't even notice that she dropped a lavender tear shaped gem, the darker purple on the bottom giving the impression of bolts of lightning.

Tenebrae grabbed it before Sheena could come back. "This is Tonitrus! How did she…"

* * *

"…There are always those that reject salvation." Kratos said as he walked towards Lloyd. "You're too soft. You'll never be able to protect anyone the way you are."

Lloyd glared at his protector with full force. "Then I'll become strong enough to prove you wrong."

Genis looked off in the direction Sheena had escaped in. "Maybe she's a Desian."

Kratos shrugged. "Who knows? At any rate, we are in constant danger. That's all we have to know."

"Those clothes…"

Tenebrae looked up at the woman. "Professor, is something wrong?"

Raine shook her head "…No. It's nothing. Let's go."

Lloyd nodded. "Yeah. Anyway, let's go look for a place where we can get a ship!"

* * *

"That woman..." Raine whispered.

Kratos looked over to her. "What is it?"

Raine shook her head. "Ah, it's just...the clothes that assassin was wearing, don't you think they were rather...unique?"

Kratos nodded. "Indeed, they aren't something you see every day."

Lloyd smiled. "I know! I bet they're dwarven clothes! The ones Emil and I are wearing now were made by our father. Well? Don't they look kinda similar?"

Genis raised an eyebrow. "You call that similar?"

Kratos looked unsure. "...Is this what happens when one is raised by a dwarf?"

"Hey!" Emil and Lloyd shouted.

* * *

"There aren't any passenger ships running. People think that it's too dangerous, so there aren't many ships up and running. I got here only by getting a ride on a boat from a guy named Aifread. Aifread? No, he's not here anymore. He said he was going back to his hometown, Luin I think."

Lloyd sighed as the fifth sailor turned down their request. Sure he could summon some water monsters, but if they encountered an enemy along the way, it would be dangerous to fight atop the steeds.

"Lloyd, look what I found!"

The Chosen turned to see Emil standing next to a large pile of rocks, or rather, a cairn. It was about the size of a five year old child. A smile bloomed across his face.

"I can't believe that it's still standing!" Lloyd ran over to the stone structure, Emil looking just as excited.

Marta jogged over to them. "What is this?"

Emil looked giddy. "It's called a cairn. It's a pile of stones used to mark a spot of where someone died or of an important place."

Raine looked interested. "What does this one mark? Who built it?"

Lloyd smiled. "I built it the day Dad and I came here to pick up a shipment from Palmacosta. This is the spot where I found Emil two years ago! I could only make it this big since I couldn't find any more stones though…"

The smile on everyone's faces was wiped off when the tower of stones fell over. They looked over to see a couple of teens, the culprit smirking.

"Only a couple of idiots would get all mushy over a pile of rocks!" One of them said. He was dressed in brown with silver armor and had red hair.

"It seemed important to them though…" A girl with dark hair and a yellow dress chided.

Another girl, a teen with blonde hair and dressed like a blue witch, rolled her eyes "Who cares? It was just a pile of rocks!"

A rather muscular teen with brown hair looked at the red haired teen with a sad look. "Bro… that was mean."

A crowd of people were now gathering around the two groups.

Marta glowered at the opposing group. "This was an important place where two brothers met! What gives you the right to knock it down? Who the hell do you think you are?"

The red head puffed out his chest. "I was practicing a move and the thing was in the way! Besides, I don't think that's any way to talk to a guard of the Chosen. This town has given us alms and offerings to help us regenerate the world." The teen motioned to the girl in yellow, causing the crowd to whisper amongst themselves. Kratos rolled his eyes in disgust at those who nodded in agreement.

"LIES!" Emil shouted before pointing at his brother. "She's not the Chosen, Lloyd is!"

"Well you must be imposters!" The witch girl shouted back, voice wavering in panic.

The first teen sneered. "You see, we are the true Chosen's group, so I suggest that you-"

The teen was cut off by Lloyd summoning out his wings for the second time that day. Genis could barely hold back a smirk. "You liars were saying?"

"Grab them!" The crowd swarmed over the fake Chosen group, taking back their offerings and forcing the fakes their knees.

"We gave them all our money!"

"I gave them our sailing rations!"

"They took every good gel I had!"

"They promised to give my letter to Aifreed!"

"APOLOGIZE!" One of the townsmen, a rather old and seasoned sailor with a thick accent, roared at them. "Apologize to his Holiness and the people of this town!"

"W-we're sorry!" The largest of the group whimpered. "W-w-w-we w-w-ere just-"

"DO YOU HAVE ANY IDEA WHAT YOU HAVE DONE?" Everyone turned to Emil, his eyes blazing a deep crimson. "You IDIOTS! This… this charade you put up! Did you not think this would cause the REAL CHOSEN trouble? WHAT IF he went into town after you had been there? HE COULD BE KILLED FOR HERESY! Or you could have caused the journey to slow down! If that happened, the world could have been DEAD by the time we truly caught up, and it would be ALL. **YOUR**. _**FAULT**_!"

The fake party was shaking, as if they were at the gates of Helheim and facing Nidhogg himself.

Kratos moved in front of Emil. "Now, you realize what you have done, am I correct?"

The fake group nodded.

"And you realize that due to this incident, your faces and information will be spread to every city and town in Sylvarant, detailing your crime of impersonating the Chosen?"

The fake group nodded again.

"And if you do this again we'll let the Chosen's BROTHER, the one who was just yelling at you, have his way with you to make sure you don't do this again. Am I clear?"

The fake group nodded. Lloyd sighed and stepped up, retracting his wings. "Um, you can let them go now. We should be happy that we caught them before they took something important."

The townspeople let the four go, watching as they scurried away in shame. The old sailor turned to them. "You need a ship, am I right?"

The real Chosen group nodded. The old sailor smiled. "I run a passenger ship, but everyone has been afraid of monsters attacking. If it's not too much trouble, would you travel with us and keep them calm? It will be free of charge of course!"

Lloyd smiled. "We get to sail on a ship? A _REAL_ ship?"

The old sailor nodded. "Why yes, what do you think I am talking about, a washtub?"

Raine paled considerably. This was not boding well for her.

* * *

AI: I know, pretty fast huh? At least we got Sword Dancer and Sheena out of the way! We even got Ratatosk causing some chaos! Might seem out of character for him, but we'll just say that Emil influenced it a bit.

Oh, if you have played Dawn of the New World or heard of it, then you know Johnny Young Bosch voices Emil and Ratatosk. Before becoming a voice actor, he was Adam Park the Black Ranger. Now, read how Emil defeated the Sword Dancer and look up Adam's fight against that skeleton dinosaur in Mighty Morphin Power Rangers: The Movie. Major shout out there!

For Sheena vs. Kratos, that fight was taken from the OAV, episode 2 if you are wondering.

I know that the Fake Chosen isn't until Palmacosta, but I like to deviate from canon every now and then!


	8. Chapter 8

AI: Hey all you loyal readers! I'm glad you all liked the imposter bit last chapter, I liked it too. Now our favorite characters don't have to worry about them come Palmacosta. Here's the next chapter in this exciting series!

Disclaimer: I do not own Tales of Symphonia nor its sequel Dawn of the New World aka Knight of Ratatosk.

Lloyd smiled as Palmacosta Harbor came into view. The group had left Izoold the instant the old sailor offered them a ride, free of charge. Emil felt bad about taking advantage of an old man, so he summoned a few water monsters to protect the ship and the passengers. While the captain didn't seem too keen on the Hydra, he appreciated the help none the less.

The ride itself the day before was memorable. Kids were keeping Noishe and Colette busy, Raine kept to herself in their cabin instead of bugging them with schoolwork with Tenebrae as company, Genis and Marta made some money from onlookers who were watching them practice magic on deck, and he, Emil, and Kratos were able to practice their swordplay. Now it was morning, and they were almost to their next destination.

He frowned. He was going to miss the sea. Here, he wasn't the Chosen. He was just Lloyd. The sea treated him as if he was a normal person. It didn't ask him to please its child or pray for humanity, it just ebbed and flowed as it pleased.

"Sir Lloyd, we need to go below deck for docking purposes and to get our things."

The Chosen turned to see Tenebrae floating behind him. Lloyd nodded. "I get it. I just wanted to spend a bit longer out here."

Tenebrae nodded. "I understand. Do not worry though. From what Lady Marta has told me, Palmacosta is built on the water."

Lloyd then remembered something. "Hey, Marta isn't from our end of Sylvarant. Think she might be from there?"

"That is a possibility."

* * *

Upon docking, Max started to usher and help people off. He was a small time fisherman himself, his grandfather being the old sailor who had helped them. "We're here."

Lloyd smiled as he hopped off. "Thanks Max. Be careful on your way back, okay?"

Max nodded. "You too Chosen."

Raine's face seemed to regain its lost color upon walking onto the dock. "Well, we have a lot of things to cover while we are here."

Everyone sans Kratos and Tenebrae looked confused.

"We need more supplies."

There was a collective 'ohhhh' from everyone. Raine smiled as she took out some lists. "Now, I have taken the liberty to make lists for everyone, detailing what they need to do. Emil and Genis, you need to restock on food. Kratos and Tenebrae are going to get new weapons. Colette and I are going to restock on gels and such."

"Let me guess, Marta and I have to go find a hotel room." Lloyd drawled.

Raine smiled. "Your deductive skills are improving Lloyd, but no. We need you to meet us in front of the Church. Don't worry so much, it's only for an hour or so."

Lloyd looked put out. "Man, I never get to do anything."

* * *

Raine and Colette walked into a small shop called 'Marble' as per a recommendation of a couple of townspeople. They were both shocked when they saw a couple of Desian foot soldiers in the shop. They were harassing a girl in yellow and a woman who looked old enough to be her mother.

"Oh, please! There's no way anyone would sell those to you at a price that low!" The girl snarled.

The Desian soldier sneered. "You should be thankful that we're even willing to spend money for goods from a rundown shack like this."

The girl shook her head. "I don't need to hear that from a bunch of filthy Desians! I'm not going to sell one single gel to the likes of you."

"Chocolat, stop!" The older woman pleaded.

Chocolat frowned. "But Mom, these are the same monsters that took Grandma away!"

The soldier reached for his weapon. "You've got some nerve talking to us like that, little girl! You keep that up, and we can't guarantee what'll happen to you or this city."

Chocolat smirked. "Just try it! As long as Governor-General Dorr is around, we'll never submit to the like of you!"

"You little-"

The second soldier stopped him. "Stop! We'll exceed our quota for this year. We need permission from Lord Magnius to go any further."

"Humph."

The second soldier turned back at the two women behind the counter. "Depending on Lord Magnius' mood, you might or might not get to keep that pretty little head of yours!"

The Desian soldiers left the shop, muttering all the way.

Chocolat turned to her mother. "Well then, I'm off to work now, Mom."

"Take care."

Chocolat smiled as she left the shop, a distinct bounce in her step.

The woman looked over to Raine and Colette. "I apologize for what happened. I'm sure you were startled. Please, relax and take a look around."

* * *

Tenebrae and Kratos were looking over the different weapons the stalls had to offer. Kratos looked over to Tenebrae and sighed in irritation. To supposedly 'blend in' with the crowd, the Centurion of Darkness was disguised as a woman.

A very attractive woman. One he recognized as Celsius from millennia ago, but with a golden tan.

A very attractive woman with a golden tan who kept drawing the attention of every male, who seemed to assume that 'Tenie' was his wife.

The outfit that 'Tenie' was wearing was not helping the situation.

"Hmm… Kratos dear, which blades do you think little Lloydie will like best? Should we get him a set of Rapiers, or go to that Customization Shop and get him a pair of Masamunes?"

The Shop Keeper chuckled. "Now, now missy. You KNOW that you need a set of these Rapiers for those lovely Masamunes."

'Tenie' fluttered her lashes. "Well, I only want my precious boy to be safe, but these are standing in my way. Couldn't you give me a little discount? Please? Kraty and I still need to get some weapons for our little genius Genie, our princess Mart-Mart, our dear Emie, and our smart little cookie Rainy. I would fell so~ much better if I knew that they were safer with customized weapons and these appear to be the best for the job, right honey?"

The red eyed swordsman looked over to Emil and Genis, who were only a couple of yards away, haggling for better prices for food. He was relieved they didn't hear their 'mother' talking about them.

Kratos was internally begging for Mithos to strike him dead so he wouldn't have to put up with this anymore.

* * *

Emil looked back at Kratos and Tenebrae and resorted to biting his lip to contain his laughter. He could hear the 'Big Guy' in his head laughing at a volume akin to a bear roar, which was giving him a headache. Then something hit him.

"Hey Genis, isn't it Raine's turn to cook tonight?"

Genis paled. "We're going to need to get double of some things, aren't we?"

Emil nodded. "Time for haggling, BIG time!"

"Haggling? Is that what powerless worms do? If you want something, you should just take it!"

The boys turned to the source of the saucy voice to find a girl in rather expensive clothes with blonde hair and golden brown eyes. Emil shivered. Something about this girl sent warning bells off in his head.

The Shop Keeper wordlessly gave Genis his purchases as he glared at the new girl. "Get out of here Alice; you know I don't serve YOUR kind here!"

Alice sniffed. "How rude, you inferior bug!"

Genis took a step back. "Is she a Desian?"

"What?" Alice looked almost offended. "You think I'm part of that rabble? I'm from the Vanguard and we happen to be the ones making sure those no good Desians keep away from big cities like this! It's half elves like them that give the rest of us a bad name."

"Half elf…" Genis whispered.

"Oh Alice, my darling!"

Genis and Emil turned to see a man with long purple hair running towards them. Both boys gagged from the smell of cologne wafting off the man.

Alice did not seem effected. "Dumbo Decus, where have you been? I've had to get food all by myself!"

Emil and Genis looked back and forth between the two before Alice hit Decus on the head and dragged him away.

"… That was new." Genis said.

Emil nodded in agreement when a bottle rolled and hit his feet. He picked it up and gagged when he smelled it. It most likely belonged to that Decus guy. "Next time I see him, I'll give it back."

* * *

Lloyd and Marta continued their walk to the Church, the female of the duo skipping all the way.

"Happy to be back home?" Lloyd decided to prod.

Marta stopped and turned around. "Was it that obvious?"

Lloyd smiled. "I was just guessing. You were acting a whole lot like Emil does when he comes home from a couple day journeys to get supplies with me or Dad."

Marta gave a small smile. "The Governor-General around here is a pretty nice guy I guess. He did so much for my family…" Marta frowned. "But in recent years, he has lost sight of many things."

Lloyd raised an eyebrow. "Does this have to do with why you can use magic?"

Marta pulled Lloyd behind a statue as a man and little girl came into view. A little boy ran up to them.

"Governor-General Dorr! Dad was taken away to the ranch and hasn't come back. Even though I've been a good boy!"

The man, Dorr, waved a hand, as if to dismiss the boy. "Hang on just a little longer. I promised, remember? I'll save everyone who's been taken away to the ranch."

"But…I'm lonely…" The boy whimpered.

The little girl responded this time, but she seemed a bit stiff. "Don't worry. Father is a friend of everyone in this city. My mother died of an illness, but your father should still be alive. I'm sure he'll come back."

The boy perked up. "…Really?"

Dorr nodded. "Yes. They were all taken away because they fought back against the Desians. I swear I'll rescue them."

"…Okay. I'll wait for Dad to come back."

"Good boy. Let's go Kilia."

The little girl nodded. "Yes, Father."

The girl and her father disappeared into the large mansion.

Lloyd was confused as he stepped out from behind the statue. "Who was that?"

An old man turned around, smiling. "That was Governor-General Dorr. He's recruiting soldiers and resisting the Desians. He's a wonderful man."

A woman nodded. "After losing his wife to an illness, he's raised his daughter Kilia all by himself…"

"As long as Governor-General Dorr is here, we won't submit to the Desians. Even if we're carried off to the ranch, Dorr will come and save us. We believe in him." The old man and the woman then parted ways with the brunette duo.

"The people of this city are all so strong. That Dorr person must be a great man." Lloyd smiled.

"No he isn't. He's just a figurehead. He may look nice and do a good deed every so often, but he's the worst person for his job!"

Lloyd was shocked. "Marta, I can't believe that I'm saying this, but keep your voice down! People might be looking at us! What do you have against this guy anyway?"

Marta looked around and motioned Lloyd to follow her into an alley way, which he did. When they were far enough away from public eye, Marta began to whisper to Lloyd.

"You know how some women can't have babies, and they have another woman do it for them? Well, my mom, the woman who raised me, was one of those women."

Lloyd blinked. "What does that have to do with magic?"

Marta shuffled her feet. "Uncle Dorr had to cover up that… that my birth mom was a half elf. I'm a quarter elf… that's why I can use magic."

Lloyd brushed Marta's hair away, revealing a pair of red wings. Lloyd's mouth was a thin line now. "This is what Richter was after. It has to do with Ratatosk, right? With Tenebrae too?"

Marta was frozen until Lloyd moved his hand away. "My Daddy… he loved both of my mothers. After Momma, the one who raised me, was the last to die during the city's 'quota killing' thing… he tried to marry my birth mother… but the day of the wedding… there was a riot outside the Church and she was killed by the protestors after they came out of the Church." Marta pointed at the Church, which was one a few yards away from the Governor-General's Palace. "I was only ten at the time. My Uncle… he just sat in his office and did NOTHING as my Daddy pleaded for his help!"

"Marta, I'm so sorry."

Marta looked down. "After that, my Daddy became crazy. The Governor-Generals of Palamcosta are descendants of the fallen Royal Family that Sylvarant used to have, known as the Balacruf Family until a few generations ago. Daddy… became obsessed with bringing the family back to its former glory, by becoming King. Then a man, Richter, came and told him about the Centurions. Daddy believed him and he started the Vanguard, a group against the oppression of well, everyone. They were structured at first when it came to hits… but then they just became sporadic and started killing anyone who opposed them."

Lloyd felt a ball of ice form in his stomach. "You used to be part of them, didn't you?"

Marta looked ready to cry. "I just killed people. It didn't matter, all because I wanted to avenge my Mommas! I have so much blood on me, on my hands, my soul! I don't even remember all of them! I couldn't believe in Martel, so I turned to Ratatosk." Marta then shook her head. "Daddy went crazy with power so I stole Ratatosk's Core so it couldn't be used for any more evil! When I heard you talking about him and the old Gods… I guess I was completely converted… Lloyd, please, you've got to believe me! I want to make up for my mistakes! I don't care if you tell everyone… but please let me stay with you and your friends."

Lloyd was silent for a few moments before taking out a bracelet from his pocket. It was made of bronze and looked like a ring of mistletoe woven together. He gently slipped it onto Marta's wrist.

"Do you know the meaning of the mistletoe?"

Marta shook her head, causing Lloyd to smile. "Baldur, god of summer, once told his mother Frigga, goddess of love, that he had a dream that foretold his death. This caused Frigga to go to every living thing and beg it not to kill her son. However, Loki found a loophole to this. Mistletoe is a poisonous plant that is a parasite, and was not considered living. He made an arrow out of the plant and asked the blind god of winter, Haldor, to shoot a deer for him."

Marta paled. "He hit Baldur, didn't he?"

Lloyd nodded. "The poor god of winter spilt innocent blood, and a harsh and bitter winter covered the planet. Everyone sans Loki tried to save Baldur, but nothing worked. Only Frigga was able to bring him back. Her tears became the berries on the mistletoe. She then proclaimed that those who pass under the mistletoe will have not be harmed, but they are to be kissed, a token of love. The plant became popular during the true winter months, and each kiss shared between people brought innocence back to Haldor's name."

Lloyd clutched Marta's hands. "Each person you help me save a person from the Desians will bring back innocence to your name. Keep that bracelet as a reminder, okay Haldor?"

Marta stared at Lloyd for a full minute before hugging him. "Thank you Lloyd."

"Why aren't you two at the Church?"

Both paled when they turned around to find a rather irate Kratos.

"Well?"

Lloyd broke the hug first. "Well, we were on our way, we really were…"

Marta shuffled her feet. "I saw some people that I'm not fond of, so Lloyd covered for me until they passed."

While only a half-truth, Kratos accepted the answer. "Come, everyone is waiting at the Church. Then, we are going to meet with the Governor-General, and then we have to go to the Academy, so we need to hurry."

Marta bit back a curse directed at both her Uncle and Kratos.

* * *

"Oh, Chosen One! It's so good to see you!"

"Pastor Marche!" Lloyd smiled and hugged the man. "I'm so happy to see a familiar face!"

"Pastor Marche used to preach at the Church of Martel back in Iselia. If Dirk was like a father to Lloyd, then Marche was like the favorite uncle." Colette explained to Kratos and Marta, the latter of the two flinching.

"Marche, I received the Oracle some time ago and released the first seal. I even got my wings now see?" Lloyd summoned his wings for the pastor.

The Pastor nodded rapidly. "Yes. Ever since the Tower of Salvation appeared, I have eagerly awaited Lloyd's arrival. The legend of Spiritua will surely be of use to you."

Emil smiled, ever the scholar. "From what I remember from school, Spiritua gave her first sermon here, right?"

Marche nodded. "Still as sharp as ever, Emil! Yes, that is correct. The legend of the world regeneration from that time was written down in the Book of Regeneration and was given to the royal family. It contains a record of the location of every seal."

Raine brightened. "Do you keep a record of its contents here by any chance?"

Marche shook his head. "I'm afraid that the Book of Spiritua rests in the hands of Governor-General Dorr. You would have to talk to him about reading it."

Lloyd patted Marta on the head, but in the same way he would Emil. "Let's go then!"

* * *

The heroes walked into the mansion, with Lloyd at the head of the group, Marta right behind him.

Dorr looked up from his work and smiled. "Greetings, travelers! We welcome travelers, as per the teachings of Martel. May the blessing of Martel be upon those who journey. By the way, may I ask where you have come from? Are you on a pilgrimage for Martel- Oh, Marta! What brings you here?"

Marta hesitated for a moment. "Ah, these are my friends from Iselia. I'm traveling with them now Uncle Dorr. We're… on the journey for world regeneration."

Dorr raised an eyebrow. "World regeneration?"

Genis nodded and motioned to his best friend. "Lloyd here is the Chosen of Mana. The Tower of Salvation appeared, right?"

Dorr rose from his seat. "… Are you saying that you are the Chosen?"

Lloyd nodded. "Yes sir, that's me! You can just ask Pastor Marche in the Church-"

Dorr's face grew dark. "We have received reports that there was a group trying to pass themselves off as the Chosen in Izoold. How do we know that you aren't the fakes?"

"Well, we did chase that other group away." Emil remembered wistfully.

Dorr pointed at the group. "GUARDS! SEIZE THEM! They have confessed to chasing away what could have been the true Chosen and his or her followers!"

"DAMMIT EMIL!" This was one of the rare times Raine did not punish her brother for swearing or jump attacking Emil, causing the two to start wrestling on the floor.

As the guards flooded in, Lloyd rolled his eyes and brought out his wings. Everyone gaped at them.

"This is starting to get really old now."

Kilia smiled, but something was still very off about her. "Wow! Father, did you see?! He has wings! He's like an angel! They're beautiful!"

Marta inwardly cringed at the look that flickered in her cousin's eyes when she complimented Lloyd's wings.

Dorr's assistant, Neil, started to call off the guards. "W-wait! Everyone, lower your weapons! This person before us is without a doubt the Chosen of Mana!"

The guards gave Lloyd's wings one last look before returning to their posts, muttering prayers under their breaths.

Neil ran up to Lloyd, bowing slightly. "There is no mistaking the angel wings that are on your back! Please forgive our insolence, Chosen One."

Lloyd blushed. "Um, it's okay really. I mean, everyone makes mistakes and everyone tells me I'm not very Chosen-like at all, even my own broth- WILL YOU GUYS QUIT FOOLING AROUND!"

Everyone from the Chosen's group looked shocked, including Lloyd. The brunette buried his face in his hands, trying to hide his blush. A muffled 'By the All-Father I'm turning into my Dad' was heard.

"Um, Lloyd?"

"Don't look at me!"

Marta did so and turned to Dorr. "Uncle Dorr, we would like to see the Book of Spiritua. It has clues as to where the next Seals are for the journey. May we look at it?"

Dorr shook his head. "I lent it to the Palmacosta Academy today after hearing about the Fake Chosen group. I thought that if they could copy down the book, then maybe would have a backup in case anything happened to the real one."

Tenebrae, who had returned to his original form, looked curious. "This Book of Spiritua sounds awfully important."

Neil looked at the floating creature. "The Book of Regeneration is a record of Spiritua's journey. It is the only document containing detailed records of the world regeneration, and it is a precious heirloom passed down through the generations of Governor-Generals of Palmacosta."

Tenebrae nodded. "I remember hearing the same thing in the Church of Martel earlier today."

Raine sighed. "Well, we've had enough excitement for one day, so we must find a hotel.

Dorr shook his head. "Nonsense! You are welcome to stay in my mansion. We have enough beds and it is free."

Raine nodded. "That does sound like a good idea. Thank you."

Lloyd smiled. "Um, if it's okay, I kinda want to see the city a bit before we turn in for that day. I didn't get to see much really…"

* * *

Emil and Lloyd chatted animatedly as they walked back from taking a gander at the Isabelle, the largest steam powered boat in Sylvarant. They had encountered Sheena again, but she didn't confront them out front. Colette and Raine blinked when they saw Chocolat standing next to a sign near the Church.

Chocolat noticed them. "Oh, you're the ones that came to our item shop earlier, aren't you? I'm sorry about what you saw earlier. I work here as a pilgrim tour guide."

Colette shook her head. "Please, don't worry about it… but are you going to be okay? Those Desians might not hesitate to destroy this entire city…"

The girl nodded. "You don't know anything, do you? This area is under the control of Magnius from the eastern ranch, but just last month they reached the designated death count limit. We're safe until next year."

"So this city hasn't signed a non-aggression treaty." Raine sighed.

"…Iselia's the only place with a treaty like that. Although there are many who envy it. I don't want any part of a treaty that panders to the Desians."

Kratos shook his head. "But that means you must spend every day in fear of the Desians. And besides, while Governor-General Dorr is building a resistance force to fight the Desians and there is the chance that he'll be getting rid of them soon, it could spark an all out battle. And on top of that, I've heard that the Chosen of Mana has already begun his journey of world regeneration!"

Lloyd felt like the entire world was looking at him. "Oh… yes…"

"Just hang in there until the Chosen saves us, okay?"

Colette smiled. "We will!"

Lloyd felt put on spot. _I'm the Chosen though…_

"So while we're waiting for the regeneration, I recommend that you follow Martel's teachings and go on a journey. The current tour is already full, so would you like to sign up for the next one? You're nice, so I'll let _you_ in on the tour at a reduced rate." Chocolat responded sweetly, looking at Lloyd as she did.

"I think we would be better off getting hold of the Book of Regeneration." The Professor mused.

"Raine, you know you're more interested in that look itself than in the location of the seals."

Kratos shook his head. "I'm afraid that we can't make any concrete plans at the moment. We have a few things to take care of in the city before we continue on our journey. We can't have things like time constraints hanging over our heads."

Lloyd mouthed a 'thank you' to Kratos after Chocolat turned her back to him. "I guess… if that's how you feel…"

Emil smiled. "Sorry about Kratos, he's like that with everyone. When we finish with our tasks around the city, we might just have to take you up on that offer!"

Chocolat smiled. "I hope to see you all again soon!" The girl then ran home.

* * *

Lloyd woke up to the sound of someone entering the room he was sharing with Kratos. Raine was bunking with Colette, Marta was staying in the room she usually slept in when she stayed at her Uncle's house, and Genis was with Emil and Tenebrae. He looked at the doorway to see Emil creep in. Lloyd motioned for the younger boy to join him.

"You know, this is a lot like when I first found you." Lloyd muttered as Emil made himself comfortable.

Emil blushed. "Sorry… it's just… ever since I made that deal with Tenebrae, I've been getting visions. Terrible visions… I think they might be Ratatosk's memories."

Lloyd ruffled Emil's hair. "Emil is Emil, Ratatosk is Ratatosk… hey, that's what we should call the 'Big Guy' now since you're a Knight of a Squirrel."

Emil laughed a bit before snuggling closer to his brother. "After the next seal, the journey will be half way over and then we can go home!"

Lloyd didn't say anything, he was already asleep again. Emil sighed before falling back into dreamland himself.

From his bed, Kratos sat up and looked at the two brothers sadly. "Lloyd, forgive me for not finding you and hiding you from Mithos…" He then looked at Emil, his gaze steeling a bit. It then softened when Emil mumbled something in his sleep and sought additional warmth from Lloyd. "Forgive me Emil, for I must take him away when this is over…" His fists clenched his sheets. "…And forgive me, Lord Ratatosk, for betraying your trust all those years ago and letting Mithos go out of control."

* * *

AI: So we have some inner Kratos angst here… this guy is too easy to write angst for sometimes I swear! Yeah, the moment between Lloyd and Emil at the end… I've been in hotel rooms near the ocean and they are COLD as heck! You just want to snuggle with something to warm up, and Emil is very attached to Lloyd so BAM we have a family scene here! We also have Alice and Decus making an appearance as well as Marta's background. Her mom couldn't have died from the Great Tree because this is way before that even happened! Plus, this gives an alternate reason as to why she can use magic since she was most likely a medic during her Vanguard days back in Dawn of the New World.

I have some slightly bad news though. Starting the 20th, classes begin so I won't have as much time to update all my other fics. I will still write, but updates won't come as fast. I hope you all stick around though!


	9. Chapter 9

AI: Hello everyone! AI here with the final chapter before classes start up again! I hope this can tide you all over until I find time to write again!

Disclaimer: I do not own Tales of Symphonia nor its sequel Dawn of the New World aka Knight of Ratatosk.

"Colette, Marta, you both look so cute!" Emil complimented the two younger females of the group. Earlier that morning, they had gone to the Palmacosta Academy, but found that the schooling section was closed for a meal break. So, in order to pass the time and earn some extra gald, they volunteered in the cafeteria. Emil, Genis, Tenebrae, and Kratos were in the kitchen while Colette, Marta, Lloyd, and Raine were taking orders. It was the lunch rush, so everyone was kept on their toes. In the end, the girls were able to keep their uniforms and they earned back the gald they had spent the previous day in the market place.

"I must say, your cooking has truly come a long way." Tenebrae commented to Emil as he handed one of the last plates for the day to Lloyd.

The Knight of Ratatosk was confused. "How can you tell when you don't eat?"

Marta smiled. "Anybody could tell by looking at it. Just look at this turnip you carved in the shape of a dove."

The blonde blushed. "Once I get going I can't help myself."

Tenebrae pointed to another plate. "And this turtle is made from a pumpkin. It's a veritable work of art."

"Well, dad did say that idle hands are a devil's play thing." Emil smiled.

"It's true! That's how Dirk got Lloyd to take up some of the Dwarven Arts!" Genis smiled.

Kratos looked over at Lloyd, who was surprisingly successful at balancing the dirty dishes in both hands and on his head for good measure. He flinched when Genis mentioned Dirk and didn't say anything for the rest of their shift.

* * *

"I don't understand a freaking word of this." Lloyd paled as he looked over a review packet.

After the cafeteria adventure, they could finally go into the main school branch of the academy, only to run into some snotty brat named Mighty Washington. Long story short, brat insulted the Sage family and now everyone had to take a test to show that Genis was smarter than Mighty. Lloyd was still wrapping his brain around why he had to take one.

The Chosen's head hit the table he was sitting at. "My brain is dead. Tests are the most evil thing to ever grace the Earth. Why can't they be sealed away with the Desians when the Regeneration comes?"

Kratos looked across the small study desk, mouth a thin line. "Tests are designed to gauge how much knowledge you have retained, Chosen. They will always exist."

"… I hate my life so much right now."

A teacher then came into the room to signal that their study session had ended and it was testing time. Kratos and Emil had to drag Lloyd to the room, the dual swordsman grumbling the whole way.

Lloyd looked at the test booklet with a hateful gaze he only reserved for three things in life: Desians, monsters he was not allied with, and dishes with tomatoes. The bound stack of papers was staring into his soul, mocking him, taunting at the fact that he could not beat it at its own academic filled game. He could swear he heard evil, insulting laughter coming out of the pages as he wrote his name on the cover of it.

He hated tests oh-so-muchly, as did his scholarly brother. Sure, the blonde did well in school, but he saw tests as a big waste of time and resources.

"You may open your booklets and start now. You have one hour."

The Irving foundlings grumbled as they did, but gasped in shock. Emil nearly fell out of his desk, plastered to the small rise behind him. Meanwhile, Lloyd opted for yelling. "BY THE ALL-FATHER, IT'S THE LEGENDARY MULTIPLE CHOICE TEST!"

Raine hid her face in her hands.

* * *

"Okay, time's up, we shall now grade the tests!"

Lloyd and Emil looked strangely happy after this test, which was very unsettling for everyone.

The test proctor walked back in with the tests a few minutes later. "I will now read off the scores. In last place, we have Colette Brunel with 210."

Colette looked confused. "It isn't out of 100?"

"No, it's out of 400 here. Next, in sixth place is Marta Laudi with a 250."

Marta smiled. "At least it's more than half."

"Next, we have Lloyd Irving with a score of 290."

Lloyd was grinned to the point his face looked like it was going to split, laughing like a maniac. "I'm a genius!"

The Chosen was ignored. "Next, we have Kratos with a score of 380."

Kratos said nothing, even when Lloyd offered him a high five.

"Next, we have Raine and Emil, both tied with a perfect 400."

Lloyd shot up from his chair, cheering. "That's my little brother!"

Kratos pulled Lloyd back down as Mighty and Genis' scores had their scores announced. "Now for the two main competitors. Mighty Washington finished with a 398 and Genis Sage finished with a perfect 400."

Mighty's jaw dropped while Genis' friends cheered for the silver haired youth. This day was beginning to look up. Then Raine approached Lloyd, irritation clear on her face.

"Lloyd, just how long have you been holding back with your studies?"

Lloyd paled. "Professor, if it means anything to you, I'm surprised I got past a fifty on that test. Then again, it was a multiple choice test."

"I believe that I can answer that." Raine looked over to see a man younger than the proctor fidgeting in the doorway. "If you follow me, I can answer your question."

* * *

The group was now crowded in a room with an examination table in it, which was occupied by Lloyd. The man fumbled with a diagram of the brain before turning to the supposed savior of the world.

"Um, now Chosen… did you suffer a head injury in your youth prior to the age of seven?"

Lloyd thought about it for a moment before nodding. "Yeah, I was three at the time. My family was chased by Desians, and my mom and I fell from a cliff while my dad fended them off. When my foster father found me, I had to wear bandages around my head for a week. He said that it was to prevent a wound from getting infected."

The man nodded. "Now, do you remember which side of your head was hurt?"

Lloyd raised an eyebrow. "Yeah, it was the left side of my head, what of it?"

"I see… will everyone please turn your attention to the diagram of the brain here?" Everyone turned to the large paper model as the student began to lecture. "Please understand that the brain is a very complex organ. From what we have learned over the years, the two sides of the brain control different things. The right side," The right side of the brain was pointed out on the model. "governs over intuition, art, creativity, holistic thinking, and the functions of the left side of the body. The left side," The professor shifted attention to the other side of the model. "governs over analytical thinking, math, science, language, and movements of the right side of the body."

"Now that you mention it, I had to relearn how to do a couple of things with my left hand after Dad found me." Lloyd mused.

Marta raised an eyebrow. "So Lloyd took a pretty big bump to the head as a kid? What's the big deal?"

The man sighed and brought out a model of a skull. "You see the lines on the skull? When a baby is born, these skull plates have not yet fused, which is why you always need to give their heads support. The plates don't fuse together until around age seven, so severe trauma to the head prior to that age can have a large effect on the brain. Long story short, the Chosen has some brain damage to his left hemisphere. From his test scores, he did amazing in the writing, reading, and more of the basic history facts. Aside from identifying ores and rocks in the science segments, he did poorly in the math and science departments."

"You know… that explains so much about him." Emil didn't seem fazed by this new revelation. "He can make Key Crests, yet he has trouble with basic multiplication."

_Anna was right. I should have unequipped my ex-sphere before throwing him in the air that one time._ Kratos turned to the young man who had helped them. "We… thank you for your lesson."

"It was no trouble at all! To be able to unlock the mysteries of the mind, much less the mind of the Chosen, is a great honor for me!"

As the man began to go on a brain related tangent similar to Raine's 'Ruin Mode' the team exited the room, bent on finding the Book of Spiritua.

* * *

Raine looked over the book with an adoring emotion in her eyes, as if it were her own child. "The very first text of Regeneration! I fear what may have happened to it if we had not confronted those fakes posing as us."

"Um, Raine… only Lloyd and maybe Colette can read it. It's kinda useless for you."

Raine gave Genis a glare before beckoning Lloyd over. "Lloyd, read this for us."

Lloyd nodded. "Um, okay… let's see here**… '**_**He of the Fire sleeps to the west of the oasis. She of the Water sleeps across the seas in the temple. They of the Wind lie in wait of the Royal Family. They of the Light sleep at the peak of the world's knowledge.**_**'** The rest is too faded, I can't read it."

Emil smiled. "That still gives us clues Lloyd! We already got the Fire Seal done, so we have Water, Wind, and Light left! Just the elements alone give us clues!"

Kratos nodded and put the book away so they could bring it back to the Governor-General's home intact. "It could have to do with the Summon Spirits as well."

It then dawned on Genis. "Oh yeah! Remiel said at the last seal that Efreet would awaken!"

Marta unconsciously took out the core Tenebrae had picked up at the Ossa Trail. "So the next seal is water… we need to practice lightning techs right?"

Kratos nodded. "We should get back to the Governor-General's home. I need to train Lloyd in some sword techniques to compensate for not being able to use magic outside his wings."

Lloyd looked offended. "What do you mean by that?"

Kratos turned to the red-clad boy. "You depend too much on your monsters. While they are good in a pinch, you need to work on defending yourself more. I do believe that the local militia has a training course in about an hour or so." He turned to leave the building. "We can drop the book off on the way there. Let's go Chosen."

Lloyd muttered something under his breath while following Kratos out.

* * *

Kratos parried Lloyd's attack, grunting as he threw the boy back. "I think that's enough for today Chosen, but there is something I would like to know."

"If it's about my style, it's self-taught and hard to break from."

Kratos shook his head, discreetly rolling his eyes at the deadpan Lloyd used. "Your style and stance have improved. I want to know about the technique you used back at the Church of Martel. The one that broke your swords."

Lloyd blushed. "Well… I read about Mystic Artes once and I tried to make one for myself. Thing is, I can only do it every once in a while since they break my weapons and put a strain on my body."

Kratos nodded. "While it is admirable that you have almost mastered something so complicated at a young age, it is also very foolish for yourself. Your mana is changing due to the angel transformation, using it at this point could be harmful to not only yourself, but others as well."

Lloyd looked slightly put off. "Genis, Colette, Emil, and I have been practicing them for years, but I'm the only one to ever really pull it off. I can't quit here! If anything, I should practice!"

"Practicing may seem like the ideal thing to do, but even when you perform a Demon Fang your mana fluctuates. Lay off the Mystic Artes for now Lloyd, until the third seal at least."

"But…"

"Lloyd, I was hired to protect you from any threat, including yourself." The mercenary's eyes were glowing with something Lloyd couldn't put his finger on, but he recognized it. It was the same look Dirk had the time he was attacked by a wolf a couple days after he was taken in by the dwarf. "If you attempt something that will put you in harm's way, I will restrain you until you come to your sense and cease your foolishness, am I clear?"

Lloyd could do nothing but nod.

* * *

"Chosen!" Both swordsmen turned to see one of the minute men running towards them.

"Hmm? What's wrong?"

One of the maids who worked at the militia based covered her mouth. "Oh, you don't know?"

The soldier tried to cover up the maid's mistake. "You all would be better off waiting here for a while. No matter what, you should stay away from the town plaza."

Kratos sheathed his sword. "Did something happen?"

A second maid came running in, alerting everyone. "It seems the Desians are headed for Palmacosta!"

"What?!" Lloyd was surprised. "I thought that the city…"

The maid nodded. "Plus, they say the leader of the nearby human ranch, Magnius, is with them."

"Magnius…" Kratos muttered to himself.

"Some of the newer recruits are going to wait here until things cool down. You should hold off on going anywhere for a while, too."

Lloyd sheathed his swords and ran the entrance of the training hall. "We have to make sure this doesn't get out of control! Let's go Kratos!"

"Out of the way! Lord Magnius approaches!" A soldier shouted to the crowd gathered in the plaza. Lloyd huffed as he and the others arrived.

A chuckling was heard as a red haired half elf wearing purple approached the crowd.

"It's Magnius from the eastern ranch…" Someone whispered.

Magnius rounded on the man immediately. "That's LORD Magnius, vermin!"

Magnius grabbed the man's neck, squeezing until he heard a satisfying crack. He let the now dead man fall to the ground like a string less puppet. The Grand Cardinal approached a hangman's gallows, with Cacao at the top. There was a rope around her neck.

"This woman defied the wishes of the great Lord Magnius and refused to provide us with supplies. Therefore, while the designated death count has been exceeded, we have been granted orders to carry out this woman's execution!" A soldier announced to the crowd.

Marta clung to Emil. "Why isn't anyone doing anything?"

Raine ground her teeth. "They don't want to get involved themselves. 'The good of the many outweighs the good of the one' my ass!"

"Mom!"

Chocolat pushed her way through the crowd, only to be stopped by one of the guards escorting Magnius.

"Stop right there, woman! If you interfere, we'll make you suffer in ways that will leave you begging for death!"

"You think Governor-General Dorr will let you get away with this?"

Magnius turned to Chocolat with a wide grin. "Dorr? Hahahaha! Don't get your hopes up, woman!"

"No!"

Suddenly, a stone was thrown at Magnius, hitting his eye. He turned to see the kid who had asked Dorr about his father the previous day throwing more at him.

"You… disgusting little vermin!" Just as Magnius was about to approach and kill the kid, Lloyd sent a Demon Fang at the Grand Cardinal.

"Stop right there!"

"Ugh!"

Raine approached Lloyd and hit the back of his head. "Lloyd, stop! Do you want to turn this city into the next Iselia?"

Lloyd growled at her. "You had no right to go there! It's not the same! This city doesn't have a non-aggression treaty with the Desians! How can we go on a quest to regenerate the world if we can't even save the people standing right in front of us?!"

Colette nodded. "Lloyd's right! I won't just stand here and let this happen!"

One of the Desians recognized Emil as the younger came to stand next to the Chosen. "…You! You're wanted criminal #0075… Emil Irving! He's the brother to the Angelus Project's brat!"

Magnius' face gained ferocity as he looked at Lloyd. "Well, now! So you're that boy carrying around the Ex-sphere! Hahahaha! This is perfect! After I take that Ex-sphere from you, they'll make me the leader of the Five Grand Cardinals! Get them!"

The guards were about to cast spells meant for Lloyd, but were stopped by Genis and a barrage of fire balls. "Amateurs…"

Magnius stomped his foot in anger. "Dammit! You worthless idiots! Enough of this! I'll take care of this woman first!"

The guard approached the floor trap of the gallows, releasing it and letting Cacao dangle.

Emil paled. "They didn't build that thing right! Cacao isn't getting an instant death, she's getting a slow and painful one!"

"We have to help her!" Lloyd shouted as Colette threw a chakram, cutting the rope around Cacao's neck. The woman fell to the floor.

Magnius was shocked. "What the?!" He turned to Lloyd. "You… you and your friend will pay for that boy!"

Kratos approached Magnius and struck him with his sword. Magnius clutched at his new wound as the mercenary jumped back. "Ugh!"

"…Let us respect the wishes of the Chosen." Kratos ground out coldly as he took a defensive stance in front of Lloyd.

Most of the citizens who did not meet Lloyd the previous day were surprised.

"The Chosen?"

"That boy is the Chosen?!

"The Chosen himself has come to save us!"

Raine scowled at her students. "Do you all realize what you're doing? If you defy the Desians, this city may be attacked just like Iselia!"

Lloyd glared at the silver haired woman. "That's right! And I know full well what I'm doing! We won't repeat the same mistake again. Emil and I will destroy them all, the entire ranch!"

Marta gaped at her rescuer. "Lloyd, that's insanity."

Lloyd smiled. "They're only after Emil and me anyway. And besides, between the two of us, we have the Big Guy on our side! And we have me, the savior who will regenerate the world! Right, Emil?"

Emil stepped up a bit, his eyes beginning to bleed red. "…I'm going to fight for everyone's sake! I won't let Lloyd take all the world's baggage alone!"

Raine rolled her eyes. "I give up. You're all hopeless… But I'll help, since I'd be worried about you otherwise."

Emil smirked and took out his sword. "Professor Sage! Thanks!"

Magnius snarled at the group. "Damned little…enough of this crap! I'm leaving them to you. Get rid of them!"

With that, Magnius retreated back to his Ranch.

One of the soldiers snarled. "How dare you lay a hand on Lord Magnius! You're all dead!"

Emil raised an eyebrow and sheathed his blade. "I got this." He raised his left hand to the sky, a certain ring glinting in the air. "From the deepest heart of the forests I summon thee; Gaia the Orion, Ruby the Blade Rex, Athenos the Hippogryph, and Kushinada the Queen!"

The Desians dropped their weapons at the site of the large monsters, running away when Ruby snapped her jaws at them.

"Well… that takes care of that." Tenebrae muttered.

* * *

The group escorted Chocolat and her mother back to their house. Once inside, Cacao approached Lloyd, taking his hands in her own. "Thank you Chosen One."

Chocolat nodded. "Thank you so much for saving my mom! I don't know what I would have done if they'd murdered my mom as well…"

"As well?…" Genis pried.

"My husband volunteered in Governor-General Dorr's army…and was killed in a battle against the Desians. And my mother…was taken to the ranch." Cacao explained.

Chocolat frowned, looking down at her shoes. "It was Grandma Marble that originally founded our shop. We have to protect it, not just for ourselves, but also for Grandma's sake, for when she returns." Chocolat then raised her head. "I'm sorry, but I'd better get going soon. It's almost time for the next Asgard pilgrimage."

Genis, Emil, and Lloyd paled at the mention of Marble's name. Quickly sensing the awkwardness for the boys, Raine spoke up.

"Asgard pilgrimage?" She questioned.

Chocolat nodded. "I work at the Church of Martel Travel Agency. But it's not like I believe in Martel or anything."

"Preaching to the choir." Emil and Marta raised their hands. Kratos had taken hold of Lloyd's sleeve to prevent the boy and firmly held it down, preventing the Chosen from joining the younger two.

"Chocolat! How can you say such a thing in front of the Chosen!" Cacao then turned to Emil and Marta. "AS for you two, you are the brother of the Chosen and his traveling companion!

The girl sighed. "I know, I know. I'm grateful for the Chosen. But Martel didn't protect Dad or Grandma. Even this time, it wasn't Martel, but the Chosen and her companions that saved Mom. How can anyone believe in a goddess that sleeps while we suffer?"

Colette shuffled her feet. "I understand. But I still think Martel exists."

"You think?"

"I'm sure of it. She exists inside you and me."

Lloyd leaned over to Emil and muttered. "She only believes this because of her family."

Raine slapped Lloyd upside the head while Chocolat looked at Colette with a questioning look.

"Who are you to the Chosen?"

Colette blinked a couple of times before looking down at her feet again. Lloyd gave Chocolat a firm look. "She is a priestess traveling with me to spread the word of Martel."

"Well, if the Chosen's priestess says so…then I'll at least try to believe."

Kratos coughed, bringing all the attention in the room towards him. "Sorry to cut this visit short, but we have to get to the next seal. From what we have gathered, it's at Thoda Geyser. We have to find yet another boat to get there."

Raine looked ill while Lloyd and Emil were bouncing on the balls of their feet. "We get to sail again!"

Cacao smiled. "In any case, allow me to give you some supplies, free of charge for the Chosen and his group."

* * *

AI: Here is the last chapter before I start at the university. I thank everyone for sticking with me so far, but this is not good-bye! I will try to work on this when I can, so please be patient!

To address why Lloyd did WAY better on his test here than in the game... please, tell me you guys don't do better with a multiple choice test.

For an image reference for Emil seeing the multiple choice test, think of the rage face image of 'gasp'. Look it up if you don't know what I'm talking about.


	10. Chapter 10

AI: Hello everyone! Did you miss me? I kid, I kid! Classes have started up and have taken most of my time, so yeah… not a lot of time to type. Hope you all enjoy this!

Disclaimer: I do not own Tales of Symphonia nor its sequel Dawn of the New World aka Knight of Ratatosk.

Lloyd and Emil were chatting at high speed while looking over their personal registrar of monsters, trying to determine which would be the best to have as rides to get to their next step, Hakonesia Peak.

"So tell me again, why aren't we going to Thoda, a place _surrounded_ by _WATER_ that could potentially be a site for one of the _Seals_, and instead going through the pass?" Marta inquired.

Raine looked back at her. "We have heard about some fights between the Desians and a faction called the Vanguard. We don't want to get in the middle of that right now Marta, so we are going to do what we can for now."

Marta bit her lip and looked away. Lloyd paused from his conversation with Emil to look at her with reassuring smile before talking to his brother again.

As they reached the Palmacosta's exit leading to the field, they were stopped by a rather young and eager Priest. "Do you know Hakonesia Peak? You know about it, right? I'm sure you do, I can tell. Is there any chance I could talk you into escorting me to Hakonesia Peak?"

Lloyd blinked a few times. "Uh… Sure?"

"Thanks! I appreciate it!"

* * *

A while later, the group had arrived at the Peak.

"Thank you! I'm in your debt! I'll be happy to return the favor any time!" The Priest then ran up to the guards and showed a piece of paper before being allowed through.

As the group approached the trail themselves, they were stopped by the pair of guards.

"You cannot pass through these gates unless you have a road pass."

"Road passes are available for sale in that small shop. You must purchase one from Koton if you wish to pass here."

Raine rolled her eyes. "Of course we do. After all, everything on this trip has been SO easy!"

Rolling their eyes, the rest of the Chosen's group entered a small house to the side of the road. Inside was an old man surrounded by artifacts.

"Um, excuse us, but are you Koton?" Emil stepped forward. "We would like to buy some road passes, please."

Koton turned to the young man. "If you're looking for road passes, it's 100,000,000 Gald per person."

Emil's eyes flashed red. "Wha?! What kind of price is that? That's robbery!"

"Silence, boy! I'll have you know, I hate men!"

Raine sighed. "That means even those on pilgrimages with the Church of Martel can't make it past here."

Koton smiled as he turned to Raine. "Oh, my, you're quite the beauty! If you're on a pilgrimage, you should join in the Asgard ruin tour at the Palmacosta travel agency."

Genis glared at the man, pointing at him. "Hey! You're in cahoots with the travel agency!"

"Oh, shut up! If you don't have any money, then get out of here!"

Colette stepped forward. "Surely that has to be another way. It is very important that we get through! Is there anything we can trade you?"

Koton smiled wider. "Oh, my beautiful maiden! Unless you have a specific item I am looking for, I am afraid that I cannot part with a group road pass."

Marta scoffed in frustration. "Oh, come on! Lloyd is the Chosen of Mana!"

Koton blinked before smiling at Lloyd. "Is he now? Where is the proof?"

Lloyd showed his Cruxis Crystal to the man and summoned out his wings. Seriously, these people needed more information on him.

Koton took a few steps closer to the boy. "While I would have preferred the latest Chosen to be female, I guess this will have to be proof enough. Fine, I'll give you the pass, but in return…" A glint came into the old man's eyes. "I want those feathers off the boy's wings. So collectible and rare!"

Kratos held an arm out in front of Lloyd to block the man from plucking anything from the wings, a cold glare on his face. "I suggest that you decide on something else."

Koton frowned. "Well, more than anything, I want the Spiritua Statue that is displayed in the House of Salvation. If you bring me that, I'll consider giving you the pass.

Emil narrowed his eyes. "You're so stingy! Like it costs you anything to just let us have it!"

Koton rounded on the boy "Shaddup! Get the heck outta here if you don't have money, won't give me the feathers, and don't have the statue!"

* * *

"It seems we have to return to the House of Salvation we passed on the way here." Tenebrae mused as they left the small hut.

Lloyd huffed as they stepped outside. "What's that avaricious old geezer's problem?!"

"Oh, my!"

The Chosen was confused. "Wh...what is it, Professor?..."

Raine seemed excited. "I can't believe you know the word "avaricious"!"

"Professor..." He trailed off.

"And you used it properly, too! That's fantastic!"

Lloyd blushed. "Y...you don't have to praise me that much."

"But it's a miracle!"

"Hehehe. You're making me blush."

Genis rolled his eyes. "Lloyd, she's making fun of you."

"Shut up!"

* * *

Lloyd looked fearfully back at the door. Kratos noticed this and fell back a few steps. "Lloyd, is there something troubling you?"

Lloyd bit his lip. "I… It's nothing. Sorry Kratos."

"I see." Kratos nodded before looking up at the sky. "By the time we get to the House of Salvation, it will be nightfall. We will not be able to get back in time, and robbers and highwaymen are infamous for attacking at night."

* * *

When everyone entered the House of Salvation, they were surprised to see the assassin from earlier that week praying in front of a statue of Spiritua. While most couldn't hear what she was saying, Lloyd picked up the last of her prayer.

"…lla will suffer. Please, help me save everyone."

Lloyd motioned for everyone to keep moving and let her be. "Let's go…"

Suddenly, the female assassin turned around and faced the group. "Wait! This meeting shall be your end! I shall defeat you right here, and now!"

Tenebrae shook his head. "This is a place of prayer. Let's not start that here."

If Sheena was shocked by the fact Tenebrae was talking, she didn't show it as much as her shock to what he said. "O…okay…"

Emil smiled. "I'm Emil, Lloyd's brother."

"What?…"

Genis looked at Emil in wonder. "Emil, what are you doing?"

The elder of the Irving brothers smiled. "Well, you know I'm Lloyd. I'm still pretty new at being that Chosen, but I'm going to do my best and save the world."

The childhood friend was next to step up. "Ah, I'm Colette and-"

Sheena glared. "I never asked you your names!"

Colette looked down in shame. "Oh, you're right. I'm sorry."

Corrine growled from his place on Sheena's shoulder. "We… We're trying to kill you!"

Marta shuffled her feet. "We know that. But if we just talk, I'm sure we can come to an understanding."

Sheena looked ready to pull out her hair. "Are you listening to me?!"

"We're listening. But um… Ms. Assassin…" Colette trailed off.

"It's Sheena! Sheena Fujibayashi! Got it memorized?"

Colette looked up. "Sheena. You were praying. Praying makes one's heart grow. I pray, too. So I'm sure we can understand each other."

Sheena sputtered. "I…I was praying that I'd be able to kill you… Forget it! I lost my concentration! You'd better be ready next time!"

Sheena threw down a smoke bomb and vanished from the scene, along with Corrine. Everyone coughed and fanned away the smoke before heading upstairs to rest for the night.

* * *

Lloyd smiled at a group of children from the eating area the House had provided. They were sitting around who was most likely their mother. She was reading from a faded yellow book of old fairy tales.

"Mother, can you read us another? Please?" One of the children begged.

"Alright, alright, but just one more. After that, it's off to bed with you." The woman cleared her throat. "Well, there is one story in here I haven't told you, the Tale of the Fallen Angel."

"Fallen Angel?" A child asked.

The woman nodded. "Yes, this story also tells of why the only earthly angel is the Chosen and why all angels live on Derris Kharlan."

Lloyd paled, but it was only noticed by Kratos.

The woman turned to the page. "Alright, he we are. Once, there was an angel who wanted to live outside of Derris Kharlan. One day, he decided to sneak out and met a human woman. After a while, the two of them had a son, a child of both angel and human blood. The mother died, but the father did everything he could to protect his son. When the child grew wings, people discovered that the feathers were not like a normal angel's or even of a bird. They had a large amount of mana and in them could be used to make weapons and spells more powerful. At first, people were okay with only using feathers that had fallen off from when the child played, but they grew greedy and wanted more than just slightly used feathers. One day, when the child's father was not home, the villagers took away the Halfling and locked the poor thing up."

Everyone in the Chosen's party attempted to focus on their meal, but the story was ruining their appetites, Lloyd's more so.

"Distraught over the disappearance of his child, he searched far and wide for his child, killing anyone who tried to stop him. Soon, after killing so many people, the Angel forgot about his goal and just started killing for fun. Saddened by what his father had turned into, the Halfling broke out of his prison and tried to reason with him. In the end, the son had to strike down his father. Heartbroken, the boy flew up to Derris Kharlan to repent for his father's crimes under the kind eye of Martel, never to see his home again."

Lloyd grimaced and pushed away his food. "Here Emil, you don't have to get up for seconds."

The Chosen stood up and walked to the room that he would be staying in, Kratos following.

* * *

By the time Kratos caught up to Lloyd, the young man had already changed into his sleep clothes and was sitting on the window sill, a far off look in his eyes.

"The priests… used to tell me that story all the time on my birthday after I was hailed as the Chosen... and when I asked when I was going to see my Dad. They said that the legend was the reason my father never came to look for me after the Desians attacked me and my mom… because if he saw what happened, then the legend would come true." Lloyd brought both of his knees up to his chest. "Pastor Marche was the only kind one at the Church. He treated me like I was human, always told me to follow what I believe to be right… the other priests didn't like that, so they sent him away before he could 'corrupt' me. 'He is the Chosen of Mana, not some average brat, and should be selfless in everything' they used to say."

Kratos was silent for a few moments. "…They told you what lies at the end of the journey, didn't they?"

Lloyd nodded. "From the time I was hailed Kratos. They made me swear on my parents that I wouldn't tell any of the younger generation, not even Emil when he came to live with us." Lloyd looked over to Kratos. "It may sound like a burden, but please look after Emil and the others when this journey is all said and done, please?"

Kratos sighed. "I will look after them for you, Lloyd."

* * *

"You say you…want the Spiritua Statue?" The Grand Priest asked.

Emil scratched the back of his head. "I know it's a… brazen request. But it's for the world regeneration."

"Please, Father." Lloyd spoke up.

The Grand Priest sighed. "If the Chosen asks, we will of course not hesitate to lend our aid." He turned to another priest "…Bring the statue here."

"M…my most humble apologies!" The priest groveled.

The party looked puzzled.

The priest motioned to the statue in front of the church. "This Spiritua Statue is actually a fake I had placed here."

The Grand Priest did not look pleased. "… What are you talking about?"

"I lost the real Spiritua Statue during the pilgrimage a year ago."

Lloyd raised an eyebrow. "The pilgrimage is the Church of Martel's spiritual training journey, right? Why would you take the statue along with you?"

"The halo on the head of the Spiritua Statue is made of diamond. We always take it with us when we go out on pilgrimages in order to protect it from thieves. On the trip last year, I followed that custom as usual and brought the Spiritua Statue with me to Thoda Island. But there, I accidentally dropped it into the geyser…" The Priest recounted his tale.

"…Why did you have to take it to a place like that?!" Marta exclaimed.

The Priest bowed. "I am terribly sorry. I was so moved upon seeing the geyser for the first time… By the time I realized it, the statue had fallen onto the rocks on the other side of the geyser. Desperate, I paid a visit to a dwarf who lives in Iselia and had him make something just like it."

Genis nodded. "Oh, that'd be Dirk."

"It's very good work. Just what I'd expect from Dirk." Raine commented as she looked over the statue.

"Just what kind of jobs is Dad doing?" The Irving siblings whispered in unison.

Kratos crossed his arms. "Well then, what shall we do now? Do you think the fake will fool that old man?"

There was a brief pause before the party, minus Kratos, gave a unanimous "nah" and shook their heads.

Raine sighed. "That doesn't seem likely. It's well-built, but it's still a fake, as is the diamond."

Colette raised a hand. "Um…um…How about if we go get the real one?"

Raine flinched. "…Y…you want us to go all the way to Thoda Island? And on top of that, the rocky area is on the other side of the geyser, correct?"

"Y…yes."

"I'm sure that by the time we get there, the dispute with the Desians and the Vanguard will be over. The real problem is the geyser. Even I'll pass on getting hit with boiling water."

Raine rounded on Lloyd again. "Oh, my, Lloyd. You remembered that a geyser erupts with boiling water. I'm so proud!"

"Oh course. Everyone knows that."

"I bet you just guessed…"

"If only we could stop the geyser." Colette mused.

Kratos shrugged. "I've heard that the eruption cycle of the Thoda Island geyser is quite short.

Raine thought for a moment. "I wonder if we can seal it with something."

Lloyd and Emil instantly thought of something. "That's it! We'll just have Genis/Marta seal it with magic! You know, like cover it with ice or something." The brother looked at each other and laughed.

Marta smiled. "Okay! I'll give it a try for you Emil."

Genis smiled as well. "You'd better be grateful!"

"Dwarven Vow #1: Let's all work together for a peaceful world. We're counting on you, our Genius Mages."

* * *

Upon stepping out of the building, a solider dressed in Palmacosta Militia Armor came running up to them.

"Chosen One! Everyone!" He stopped in front of Lloyd, bowing his head slightly.

"What is it?" Lloyd asked, confused.

The soldier raised his head. "I have a message from Dorr. He would like you to temporarily postpone the journey of regeneration."

Kratos crossed his arms and raised an eyebrow. "What is this about?"

The soldier turned to the mercenary. "A Church of Martel pilgrimage tour guide has been kidnapped by the Desians. In light of this, Dorr has decided that this is the time to gather Palmacosta's forces and launch an attack on the human ranch controlled by Magnius."

Genis pushed for more information. "How is that related?"

"We would like you to rescue the kidnapped tour guide in concert with our attack."

Colette became worried. "Who is this kidnapped tour guide?"

"Her name is Chocolat."

Lloyd paled. "Chocolat?!"

Raine looked shocked as well. "…Oh no."

"Chosen One, please help us!" The soldier begged.

"Yeah, okay." Lloyd nodded.

The professor huffed. " …Somehow, I thought you were going to say that."

Lloyd nodded at her. "Of course! We can't just leave her."

"Thank you! Neil will inform you of the details once you reach the ranch. Thank you so much for your help."

The soldier then left to return to Palmacosta.

Grumbling, Emil, or rather Ratatosk, took out the World Map and began to scan it. "Oh no, DON'T tell us where the Ranch is. We'll be fine on our own."

"Well, it should be near the Thoda Docks, correct?" Tenebrae interjected.

* * *

Time seemed to go fast as the group made their way to the Palmacosta Ranch. They had to go by foot so that their monsters would not be spotted. Upon reaching the forest that surrounded the Ranch, they met up with Neil, who seemed conflicted.

"Chosen One, please wait." He said after a while.

Lloyd ran up to him. "Neil! We heard Chocolat's been kidnapped!"

" …Yes. I wish to speak with you regarding that. Please, come this way…" Neil led them to a small alcove away from the Ranch.

"…It doesn't sound like you have very good news for us." Tenebrae observed.

"I would like you all to just go ahead and leave the Palmacosta region."

Colette gasped. "But if we do that, what will happen to Chocolat?"

Genis gave a determined look. "Yeah! We're supposed to work in conjunction with the Palmacosta army to save Chocolat, right?"

"No, that's…"

"So…it is a trap." Kratos deduced, earning surprised looks from everyone minus Raine.

"…Of the several possibilities, it looks like the worst one came true." The eldest female sighed.

Lloyd turned to the adults in the party. "Kratos and Professor! What are you talking about?"

Kratos turned to his young charge. "It was a mystery that the Desians would simply leave a city with an army alone."

The teacher agreed. "Yes, exactly. Choosing not to crush the seeds of rebellion must mean they are not a threat… They are left alone simply because they have no real power, or perhaps, because they are in fact beneficial…"

Neil shuffled his feet. "…It is as you say. Dorr is working with the Desians to lead the Chosen into a trap."

Emil became livid. "Why would he do such a thing?"

The Assistant Governor-General looked away in shame. "He didn't used to be like this… He always thought of the well-being of the people of the city. Even five years ago, when he lost his wife, Clara, he swore to fight against the Desians."

"Then why would Uncle…" Marta whispered.

Neil shook his head. "I don't know. At any rate, entering the ranch now will put the Chosen in danger. Leave Chocolat to me and please, go on your way. Please regenerate the world as soon as possible."

Kratos nodded. "…Indeed. It would be best to abandon the situation here for world regeneration."

Emil shook his head. "No! We can't just ignore this!"

Genis stepped up next to his friend. "Emil's right. If we leave things as they are now, Palmacosta may be destroyed just like Iselia. You think so, too, don't you, Lloyd?!"

Raine frowned at her younger brother. "Yes, what you say is true. But I still wish to side with Kratos. If you don't want to see cities destroyed, you should avoid contact with the Desians."

Lloyd shook his head. "No, that's not right at all. Regenerating the world and saving the people in front of us are not exclusive of each other, like they are different classes. That's what I think." Lloyd turned to his school teacher, fists clenched. "That was my intention from the beginning. Remember what I said? I'm going to destroy them all."

"Still…"

Ratatosk smirked. "Now, then, we have two courses we can take. The first one is to go on ahead and infiltrate the ranch and rescue Chocolat and the other captives. Now that things have come to this, if we leave the ranch alone, it will surely result in a second Iselia. Our second option is to confirm Door's true motives. If he has planned a trap, then he knows the layout of the ranch well." A certain evil smirk grew as he rubbed his hands together. "…Let's let him talk for a bit and explain himself."

Dorr's assistant paled. "What are you going to do to Dorr?"

Genis leaned over to the disturbed man as Lloyd hit the red eyed teen upside the head. "…You'd better not ask that. Both Emil's and Lloyd's punishments are painful."

Kratos nodded. "Thinking logically, dealing with Dorr first is the correct choice. What do you think, Lloyd?"

Lloyd shook his head. "Let's go attack! By the time we got back from Palmacosta, Chocolat might not even be here! Who cares about their trap?! We're going to save Chocolat, now!

Genis smiled. "You got it! Count me in!"

Colette stepped up next to Lloyd. "Me, too. I'm sure Chocolat is scared and lonely by herself."

Raine sighed. "I don't want to agree to this, but it looks like I don't have a choice…"

Kratos shrugged. "…If that is your wish. Let's go."

As the party began to walk off, Neil called out to them. "Wait, please! Please, take me with you!"

The group glanced at him. "Please allow me to aid you."

Ratatosk made a 'come on' motion with his hands. "…Okay. Let's go."

Genis looked unsure at his friend. "Are you sure? It's dangerous."

Ratatosk closed his eyes. When he opened them, one was Emil's emerald green while the other was still a deep ruby red. "…Yes, I remember what it felt like back in Iselia when I was told not to follow Lloyd on his journey. I don't want others to go through the same thing."

Neil was not fazed by the stereo effect Emil's voice seemed to take on. "Thank you! I promise I won't get in the way. Also, be aware that once you've gone inside, you won't be able to leave until we're done."

Kratos pointed to a section of the base through the shrubbery. We'll be barging in from the front door, so we better make sure we're prepared.

"Let's do our best, Neil!" Marta cheered.

"Right!"

* * *

"Sir, there have been reports that the Chosen and his companions are heading towards the Palmacosta Ranch with intentions to destroy it. How do you wish for us to proceed sir?"

Yggdrasill looked at the angel out of the corner of his eye. These lifeless husks that were formerly the bodies of the fallen warriors of the Great Kharlan War could grate on his nerves at times. "We leave it as is. One of the trials of the Chosen is to take down the Desians, is it not? Additionally, after this regeneration, there will be no use for the Desians."

The angel nodded and floated out, missing his leader's look of disgust. Recently, the research teams had attempted to create a replica of Martel in case something were to happen to the Chosen before he arrived. The only successful creation turned out to be a child no older than maybe 3 with golden hair and matching eyes. The… thing, he refused to call it part of his sister, just stared at him, cooing and grabbing his hair.

Yggdrasill sneered at the first pure angel to be created. There was no elven blood or human blood in him, solely the angel blood and mana that had evolved from him over the last 4000 years. The only way they stabilized the 'clone' was combining DNA from others to replace parts of Martel's own genetic sequencing; the failure Chosens, the other angels, even Yuan. They even changed the gender of the child because he provided more stability to the result.

This was no Martel, or even someone he would consider a nephew. This was just a failed experiment.

"Yuan!" He barked. Within seconds, the blue haired seraphim entered the chambers of Vinheim.

"You called, Mithos? Is it for another mundane chore?" Yuan drawled.

Yggdrasill tossed the child to Yuan, who caught the child and checked him for injuries. "Take care of that thing. I don't care what you do, just get rid of that abomination. Kill him, put him up for adoption, leaving him in the forest, I don't care."

Yuan rolled his eyes. "Yes, Lord Yggdrasill."

As the half elf left, he heard his former brother-in-law-to-be mutter something along the lines of 'Kratos' son already put a chink in my plans and made me rearrange them, I don't need your son to do the same.'

* * *

Yuan looked over the information on the child he was carrying. There was no doubt about it, this child was artificial yes, but he was also the son that he and Martel never had a chance to raise.

Yuan carefully cradled the child and took him back to the Renegade's Base, laying him down on the new couch in his office.

"I'm a father now." Yuan muttered. Something stirred within him, and he couldn't help but wonder if Kratos felt the same thing when his child came into the world.

"Martel and I… if we ever had a child… decided that if we had a son, we would name him Dhaos."

* * *

AI: Hope that this keeps you tided over for a while everyone! Classes have been keeping me on my toes this semester, 15 credit hours in all! Also, I have gotten into another fandom, the -Man fandom. Not to worry, I am not going to drop this fic to make one for the new fandom. I will suggest that everyone read/watch it in between updates.

Yes, the Dhaos mentioned here is the same Dhaos from Tales of Phantasia, which takes place around 4000 years after Symphonia.

The story that the woman was telling her kids came from the manga "Love Monster", but I adapted it for the story… and it fit because of this fan art I found: : / / 25. me dia. tum blr tum blr _ ltw f36 A W8 31 qci vr bo 1 _ 12 8 0. j p g


	11. Chapter 11

AI: *peeks around corner, checking for angry mob* Hello... everyone... yeah school has been keeping me busy as heck! Hopefully I get more time now that the semester is coming to an end!

Disclaimer: I do not own Tales of Symphonia nor its sequel Dawn of the New World aka Knight of Ratatosk.

The group spied on the Desian guards outside of the base, waiting for a chance to run through and into the building itself.

"So, what's the plan again?" Colette asked.

Lloyd smiled. "We're going to just charge in there."

"Lloyd you cannot be serious." Kratos admonished.

"Uh Kratos, too late." Genis deadpanned as he pointed to Emil and Marta, who were running towards the three platoons of guards, flanked by eight monsters.

"I thought you could only summon four at a time." Raine glanced at Lloyd.

The twin swordsman shrugged. "I can summon four and he can summon four since we met up with Tenebrae. In all, eight."

"Lloyd can do basic math now? What has this journey done to him?"

"Shut up Genis!"

* * *

The group proceeded inside Palmacosta Human Ranch, making sure that no guards were around. Inside, they saw another glowing pedestal.

"Why are these things everywhere? I mean, I can understand in the temples, but in a Ranch?"

"The Desians probably have these around in order to equip it to themselves or their weapons. While using spells is convenient, it takes up a body's personal mana supply and takes time to recharge. Having these little 'additions' conserves mana." Kratos explained.

"Wow, you know a lot Kratos." Marta commented.

"It's common sense really."

Lloyd took one of the moonstones from the pedestal and attached it to the Sorcerer's Ring.

"So, what do you think it does now?" Colette looked at the new stone with interest.

"Let's try it out!" Lloyd let some mana flow into the ring. Instantly, a green visor appeared over his eyes. "Hey, it's some sort of item scanner! Someone dropped a gel over there!"

The scanner then disappeared. "Okay, so it only works for a short time… but did someone grab that gel?"

"Tenebrae got it Lloyd. Now, what was the new ability like?" Raine started to fuss over the ring.

"Well, it looked like the area changed somehow." Lloyd mused.

"I see, so it's…something like a radar." The professor concluded.

"Ray…dar?"

"To put it simply, you can see things you couldn't see before."

"Really, we didn't notice." Emil muttered.

"Well, this is a fairly large place, so let's split up everyone!"

"Okay… so how about Emil, Marta, Tenebrae, and Kratos go one way and the rest of us will go the other way. From what the map says, the captives are to the left and whatever controls most of the traps on the levels is on the other side." Colette pointed to the rather large map near the glowing pedestal.

"Colette… that's actually a very wise plan!"

"Okay then, let's spilt up everyone!"

* * *

"Chosen, please leave this to me. Members of the Palmacosta army will be coming in soon. I'll remain here, join up with them, and free those people. Please, take care of Chocolat." Neil explained as the group freed the Ranch captives.

Lloyd nodded. "Okay, we'll leave it to you, then."

As the prisoners filed out of the room with Neil, a child ran up to Lloyd, tugging at one of the pieces of cloth that was attached to his jacket.

"Hmm? What's wrong? You're not going to run away?"

"I am but, thank you for saving me." The boy held something out to the brunette. "Here, take this."

The kid then handed Lloyd something. Turning it over a couple of times, Lloyd looked back at the kid. "What's this?"

"I picked it up over there. I saw a Desian treating that card as if it was really important."

"Thanks."

"Heehee. I heard them call it the 'Blue Card' or something."

* * *

Emil's group managed to defeat a group of Desians and retrieve what was labeled the 'Purple Card' from one of them.

"Hey, something sparkled over there."

Emil squinted at what Marta was pointing to. "It's too far to see what it is."

Tenebrae smirked. "Wait here, I'll check it out."

The centurion floated over to the other platform and grabbed the item that had caught Marta's eye. "Here we are, the 'Red Card' I believe. Let's go meet back up with the others. I am sure that they have finished what they were assigned to do."

Everyone met back up in the front of the base near the warp pad, everyone putting in the access cards they had collected.

"We need to be careful." Marta warned everyone. "I heard from one of the Desians that Magnius was fond of the warp pads and made a puzzle out of them."

Lloyd hung his head. "I hate puzzles. I really hate them."

"If it makes you feel better, I'll let you blow up the Ranch after this is over." Kratos deadpanned.

"Onwards everyone!"

* * *

A few warps, hidden items, and set off alarms later, the group found Chocolat being guarded by two Desian soldiers.

"Look over there!" Colette pointed to the soldiers.

"Stop! Let the girl go now!" Tenebrae growled.

Emil had a pair of monsters take care of the guards. Chocolat didn't hesitate to run over to the group.

"You came to rescue me?" She asked.

Colette nodded. "Yup! Did they hurt you? Are you okay?"

"Yes, I'm fine. Everybody, thank you all so much."

Emil smiled. "Please, don't mention it…"

Kratos interjected. "There is no time to be celebrating. We still need to take care of Magnius."

The silver haired teacher nodded. "Assistant Governor-General Neil is taking the people imprisoned here to safety. Our job is to secure the control room and assure a safe escape."

Chocolat's eyes sparkled. "Dorr finally mobilized his plans, didn't he?"

Lloyd looked a bit uncomfortable. "Um…uh, yeah."

The brunette girl pointed to one of the teleporters. "I'm not sure if it's in the control room or not, but in the back is a platform that leads to a room filled with sparkling lights and other magical looking things. I'll show you the way."

"Hmm, it may be a bit dangerous, but we'd appreciate your help." Raine mused.

"Of course. Follow me!"

* * *

Emil looked around the room they arrived in. "So this is the control room…"

"So the forsaken Chosen and his entourage of vermin have finally arrived."

"For…saken?" Kratos repeated, something akin to anger lacing his voice. Nobody noticed the mercenary's grip on his sword tighten to the point his knuckles turned white.

Magnius descended to the scene from an elevating platform seat, looking smug.

"You got it all mixed up Magnius, you're the one that's forsaken. Your time here is up." Lloyd snarled at the Desian Cardinal.

From out of nowhere, four Desian mooks surrounded the group.

Colette gasped. "We're surrounded!"

"Hahaha! Just like a bunch of stupid vermin! I know your every move. And I know about those inferior beings trying to escape, too." Everyone looked to the screen Magnius motioned to, only to gaze on in horror.

"How did Neil get in there?" Colette wondered.

"That's a projector. A product of magitechnology." Tenebrae supplied.

"It's a device that displays images of people and things that are far away. We were displayed on here as well." Raine explained.

The projector showed as all the doors closed on Neil and the prisoners.

"Oh no! They're trapped!"

Magnius laughed at Genis' statement. "Hahaha! A wasted effort! Everything you've done is meaningless!"

Lloyd glared at the Desian. "How so?! We can rescue everyone after we take care of you!"

"Big words from someone whose pathetic rearing skills caused his brother to entice the disaster at Iselia!"

Lloyd faltered. "Th…that was…"

The Chosen inwardly shivered at the rather toothy smile Magnius gave. "I know, how about I recreate that incident using the vermin on the projector? Watch. I'll unleash their Exspheres and turn them into monsters!"

Lloyd choked. "No! Stop!"

"Come on now. I'll be more than happy to turn them into monsters, just like your Mommy dearest. Hell, better yet, just like that old lady you killed… Just like Marble! Hahahaha!

Chocolat paled as she turned to face the group who had come to rescue her. "Marble? You don't mean…"

"Oh, but I do, my little Chocolat. Dear old granny Marble was sent to the Iselia ranch, where she was killed by Lloyd's little brother, Emil. I heard she met a pitiful end!"

Genis turned to Chocolat. "Wait, it wasn't like that! We tried to save her! But the Desians turned her into a monster and-"

"Emil killed her."

"No…" Chocolat backed up away from the group, and right into the hands of the Desian soldiers.

"Chocolat!" Colette called out to her.

"Dammit! Let her go!" Lloyd snarled.

"Leave me alone! I refuse to be saved by Grandma's murderers! I'd rather die!" Chocolat snapped.

"You mustn't say things like that! Don't throw your life away!"

The brunette girl shook her head. "…Dorr will save me. Leave me alone!"

Magnius laughed as two of his soldiers and Chocolat teleported away. "Hahahaha! Right, Dorr, huh. Well, whatever. Take care of those vermin!"

Lloyd raised an eyebrow. "Rule one about me: NEVER assume that I'm unguarded."

Magnius learned that day how much time it took for a Cerebus named Ceres to tear through four of his soldier like they were wet tissue paper before it turned on him.

Magnius dodged the monster, who had crashed into his chair. The force of the impact effectively knocked the Cerebus out cold.

"Ceres, return home!" Emil commanded as the Summoners Ring shone, causing the monster to fade away.

"Fine, I'll take care of you myself! I'll put an end to the Chosen, right along with you fools who can't let go of your elven blood!"

Kratos parried Magnius' axe. "Stay on your guard everyone! We're aiming for the control panel!"

* * *

When Lloyd would look back on his first true battle with a Desian Grand Cardinal, who would admit that Kratos was right; there was a DISTINCT difference between the foot soldiers and their leaders.

It was one thing to fight a spell-caster, it was another to fight a spell-casting axe wielding maniac that was constantly casting Eruption. Guardian barely saved him on those occasions.

Lloyd could feel his arms getting heavier. He had a feeling that they were going to be sore in the morning. One thing he could feel proud of was finally mastering Beast, which had come in handy this battle.

"I beg of you to aid my comrades, Angel Feathers!"

"Take this! Grave!"

"Drown! Spread!"

"Ring Whirlwind!"

"Ravaging Tiger!"

"Photon!"

"O hellion whose roar chills the very soul, resound... Bloody Howling!"

Magnius growled, easily on his last legs. "I will not be beaten by the likes of you!"

"Lloyd watch out!" The Chosen pivoted on his heel to get away from Magnius' grip, but the red haired menace was still able to grab him by the throat. He smirked at Genis, Colette, and Marta. "One move and he dies."

The Cardinal then addressed the boy in hand. "Any last words, vermin?"

"LET MY BROTHER GO!" Magnius felt two sharp pains, two swords, entering his body and slicing cleanly through his stomach and chest. He let Lloyd go, who was supported by Marta.

"Ugh… How?! How could a superior half-elf like me…"

Kratos twisted his sword, the one protruding from the chest. "It's because you are a fool, Magnius. Cruxis has accepted Lloyd as the Chosen."

"…What?"

Marta nodded. "That's right! Lloyd is going to regenerate the world! We're not going to lose to someone like you!"

"So…you're…Then…I was deceived…" Magnius collapsed to the floor as the blades were pulled out.

"This should allow the people imprisoned in the ranch to escape." Everyone turned to Raine who had successfully freed the captives along with Neil.

"What about the Exspheres implanted in them? Without Key Crests, it's only a matter of time before they go out of control." Marta worried.

"Can't we just take the Exspheres off of them?" Genis questioned.

Kratos shook his head. "It's dangerous to attempt to remove an Expshere lacking a Key Crest. I would imagine only a dwarf could handle it."

Colette smiled. "Then we can ask Dirk to do it."

"Yeah. Let's contact my dad."

Raine typed a few more things that appeared on-screen. "…We can work out the details later. Right now, I'm going to program this place to self-destruct. Ready?"

Everyone sans Kratos looked surprised.

"Are you serious?!"

"I wanted to do that!"

"Raine, if you do that-"

"At the very least, we'll deal a major blow to the Desian stranglehold over this region. If we're going to strike them, it should be thorough and decisive."

"Raine…" Genis sighed.

Raine gave her brother a soft smile. "Remember, Genis. We're not like them. We're different."

A few more button presses later, Raine turned to the group. "I've set the self-destruct timer for ten minutes. Let's hurry and evacuate."

Everyone ran from the control room, leaving a bleeding Magnius on the floor. Unbeknownst to them, he was still alive.

"I must inform Forcystus…while I can…" The Grand Cardinal crawled over to a projector, only to have it reveal an old man with purple hair and what looked like a heavily armored cloak.

"I have a sight problem with you contacting Lord Forcystus. He'd realize what I'm trying to do."

"Rodyle!" Magnius spat. "You…you deceived me! There was no order to eliminate the Chosen, was there!?"

"Hehehehe. Collecting Gald for me, attempting to eliminate the Chosen for me…you've been quite useful, Magnius. Farewell! I hope you enjoy the afterlife!…"

The projector then shut off, leaving Magnius alone.

Magnius groaned out one final message as the self-destruct counter reached its final seconds. "Dammit…Lord Yggdrasill, glory to the coming Age of Half-elves!…"

* * *

"Neil, what happened to the captives?" Lloyd asked.

"We've moved them all to Palmacosta."

Genis looked conflicted. "Then, Neil, please get out of here, too! Hurry!"

"What?"

"It's going to explode!" Marta shouted.

Neil wasted no time following the Chosen's group.

* * *

Lloyd rested against a tree after they were a safe distance away from the now smoldering base. "I thought we were going to die… you okay Emil?"

"Yeah, you okay bro?"

"Mostly. Thanks for the save back there, but I'm sorry that you had to…"

"It was bound to happen sooner or later."

Colette grinned at the two. "I'm glad everyone's all right."

"Ah… what about Chocolat?" Neil inquired.

Raine answered. "I think she was taken to another location."

"I see…" Neil muttered.

Kratos sighed. "If she's all right, she can still be rescued."

"Yes, you're right."

Genis piped up. "Also, the captives have something called an Exsphere embedded in them."

Lloyd shot up from his spot. "It's dangerous to leave them as they are now. You need to send a letter in my name to a dwarf named Dirk who lives in Iselia. I'm sure he'll help you get them removed."

"…I think it is time we had a talk with a mastermind behind all this." Kratos reminded everyone.

Neil averted his eyes. "You're going to see Dorr, aren't you? Please…please, take me with you!"

Lloyd gave Neil a rare, serious look. "It may turn into a fight. …Are you sure?"

"I want to know the Governor-General's true motives. Please!"

Emil's eyes bled red as he walked back towards Palmacosta. "All righty then. Let's go see this oh-so wonderful Dorr."

Lloyd groaned, introducing his palm to his forehead. "I have a feeling this isn't going to end well."

* * *

AI: Yes, Marta can use Bloody Howling. It's actually comes from a video of unused techs for the sequel. It can be found on good old youtube if you want to know the rest. Next time, we confront Dorr and actually get to Thoda! Later everyone!


End file.
